


Engrave It On The Earth

by moonstardust82



Series: Engrave It On The Earth [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band), The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Captain Kim Hongjoong, First Mate Choi San, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Magician Park Seonghwa, Master Gunner Choi Jongho, Master Rigger Jung Wooyoung, Medic Jeong Yunho, Navigator Kang Yeosang, Non-Graphic Violence, Pirates, Quartermaster Song Mingi, Quests, Romance, Slow Build, YoHoHo!TheAdventureBegins!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:33:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 68,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24888430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonstardust82/pseuds/moonstardust82
Summary: Park Seonghwa had a secret; he was a mage.Kim Hongjoong had a problem; he needed a mage to join his pirate crew and journey with him to a lost island that might or might not exist.When chance brings these two individuals together, it seems like an act of the heavens. After all, the universe works in mysterious ways. However, there are dangers lurking in the shadows and hidden truths that must be revealed before the journey’s end. Join the crew for a tale of magic, adventures, lost treasures and a love that defies the odds.
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: Engrave It On The Earth [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800913
Comments: 65
Kudos: 236





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> “The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so for them.” ~ Lois McMaster Bujold

Seonghwa had been eleven the first time he had seen a public execution. It was only the first death he would witness, not the last, but it would shape his future in innumerable ways.

He’d been walking home from the market after running some errands for his mother, and decided to cut through the town square as a shortcut. He was jostling his way through the crowds, noticing the unusual number of people in the area but not thinking much of it, when he heard a loud sound echoing from the front of the square. He stopped, taken aback by the sudden drum beats and turned his head, trying to discover the occasion for such ceremony. As far as he remembered from his tutor’s lectures on public events, the drums were only played for important ceremonial functions, and he did not recall that day being a holiday or public figure’s birthday. His curiosity got the better of him and he began to retrace his steps, hoping to find a better vantage point but it was difficult to maneuver his way through the sea of writhing bodies. It seemed like the square had become more crowded in the few moments since he had arrived, and Seonghwa for the life of him could not figure out what warranted such public interest. 

He had just managed to shove and squirm his way to the first few rows, when he heard a voice call from the raised platform at the front of the square, “Silence.” 

The voice was cold and rough, the vocal equivalent of throwing oneself against the rocks, and Seonghwa shuddered a little, hearing it. He raised himself onto the tips of his toes, and managed to catch a glimpse of the platform before him. It was crooked and leaning slightly to one side, surrounded on all corners by armed guards that bore the trademark white coat and blue insignia of the Royal Navy. Seonghwa recognized the emblem as it was the same one that decorated his father’s uniform. 

Seonghwa squinted his eyes, raising a pale hand to block the glare of the sun. He thought he recognized the man on the platform, the one who had just spoken. He pressed a little closer, and his eyes widened as the man’s features became clear to him. It was Commander Marcus Holden, an important official in the Navy and a close, personal friend of his father. Seonghwa felt chills run down his back despite the heat of the day. He had never liked Marcus; the Royal Navy official made him uneasy. Despite his genial face and well-rehearsed words, Seonghwa felt that something darker lurked underneath. Something evil.He suppressed the sudden urge to run forward and tear the platform down before Marcus could continue speaking. 

Seonghwa shook his head; he was acting ridiculous, every bit the foolish child his father often accused him of being. There was nothing to suggest that Marcus had planned anything out of the ordinary: perhaps the drums and the crowd meant a soldier was being promoted. Still Seonghwa couldn’t help the ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach. Every bone in his body was telling him that something was about to happen.

Unfortunately, he was right. Just as Seonghwa had tired of waiting, the drums began to play faster and Marcus shouted once more for silence. This time the crowd followed his command, speech softening to a murmur. There was a tense quiet in the air, an atmosphere of anticipation.

From his position on the raised platform, Marcus cleared his throat and announced in a loud voice, “Bring out the prisoner.”

Seonghwa’s heart began to beat faster. For the first time his eyes spotted the strange contraption on the far side of the platform. The structure was deceptively simple: two wooden beams nailed at perpendicular angles to each other, with a closed loop of rope hanging from the top one. It reminded Seonghwa of a similar drawing he had seen in one of his history books, and his stomach twisted with fear as he recalled what the device had been used for.

He watched, muscles tense with dread, as two more white coated officers stepped onto the platform, dragging another figure between them. Seonghwa narrowed his eyes: it was a young man, a boy really, his arms bound behind his back. He didn’t look like a criminal, at least not that Seonghwa could see. He had light brown locks that were matted with dried blood and his face looked gaunt and pale. The boy was tall, but alarmingly thin, as if he hadn’t eaten in several weeks. His arms must have hurt from being restrained in such an uncomfortable position, but he didn’t voice a single complaint, not even when the guards jostled him roughly. The two navy officials dragged the boy to the end of the platform, where the strange device was waiting. They led him to a position directly under the wooden beam, looped the cord of rope around his neck, then stepped back, turning to face the audience. 

Marcus turned to the crowd as well. “You all know why we are here. This man has been found guilty of piracy,” he said, the tenor of his voice making the words resonate through the square. Marcus continued, “As our law dictates, there is only one punishment for such a crime: death.” 

Seonghwa inhaled sharply; surely they wouldn’t kill someone so young, regardless of the gravity of their crime. Didn’t this boy deserve a second chance, an opportunity to fix his mistakes? He looked on, blood chilled with dread, as Marcus turned to face the boy with poorly disguised contempt.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself, _pirate_?” Marcus snapped, hissing the last word as if it were the worst insult he could issue. The boy remained facing forward, silent and unmoving. 

Marcus’s scowl deepened, as if he had wanted to provoke the boy into a reaction, but before he could say anything else, an urgent voice called out from the crowd, “Stop! He’s innocent! My brother, he’s innocent, he didn’t do anything!” 

Seonghwa, along with the rest of the people in the square, turned towards the direction of the voice. There, pushing through the crowd with impressive force for a body so small, stood a young boy, his hair coloured a radiant orange. His clothes were torn and muddied, his arms covered with bruises and cuts. He looked fragile and delicate, as if it would take only a strong gust of wind to blow him down, but he stood in front of the crowd, daring and unafraid as he yelled, “Please, stop! My brother isn’t a pirate, he’s innocent!”

The boy’s voice was high-pitched and shaking with fear, but he continued regardless. “It’s not him! My brother is innocent, please, he’s just a blacksmith’s apprentice, he didn’t do anything wrong, please, you have to believe me!” 

The crowd shifted uneasily, but Marcus merely looked down at the boy, anger evident on his face. “Is that so?” he scoffed, “Do you think we will believe your lies? This boy, this scum, was seen aiding a crew of known pirates just last week, supplying them with weapons and a place to hide! Does that not prove where his allegiances lie? There is no innocence in piracy, boy! Your bastard brother is the same as every rum-swilling, useless waste of space we captured before. I’m doing the world a favour, getting rid of his kind.”  


The orange haired boy screamed, an incoherent shout of grief and rage, and flung himself bodily towards the platform, as if he intended to tear it down with his bare hands. For a minute, Seonghwa thought he might succeed, such was the determination and fire he could see in the boy’s eyes. 

“Guards! Restrain him!” Marcus called, his voice once again even and unaffected. The white coated officials standing at the corners of the platforms moved forward and grabbed the young boy’s arms with ease. Seonghwa twitched, wanting to run forward to protect the boy, shield him somehow, but he found his body immobile from fear. 

“Hyung!” the boy yelled, desperation evident in his voice, as the guards began removing him from the square, pulling him through the silent crowd. A small part of Seonghwa was glad to see him go, if only to spare him the sorrow of what was to come.

“It’s alright, Joong-ah. I promise, everything will be alright,” the boy on the platform looked close to tears himself, but kept his voice soft and comforting, as if, even now, his only concern was the orange-haired child crying in front of him.

“Please!” the boy cried, “You promised you wouldn’t leave me! You promised…” His voice faded as he was dragged away, his orange hair disappearing from view, and a sudden silence echoed through the square.

Seonghwa felt his heart break for the second time that day, to see the love in these brothers’ eyes, knowing that it would be torn away in minutes. His vision blurred with tears, the sounds of the square fading away till all he could hear was the cries of a heart-broken child.  


When Marcus next spoke, it was as if Seonghwa was hearing the words from underwater, his senses clouded and his vision swimming. He couldn’t believe that anyone could mercilessly sentence such a young boy to death, when his crimes were no more severe than helping those who crossed his path, providing them shelter and defence. Why did he have to die just because the people he had helped were pirates? What Seonghwa had been too naive then to understand, was that, in the eyes of the navy, there could be no crime more severe than piracy. It wasn’t until he was older, that he would learn about the ruthless war the crown waged to remove from the sea every ship that sailed under a pirate’s colours, and their determination to kill every man who took the pirates’ brand. He would learn of atrocities that would make his blood run cold and haunt his mind for several months, and he would grow to hate his family’s connection to the navy, the times when he benefited from the affluence of his father’s job, knowing that it came at the cost of so many lives lost. 

But right now, he could only watch, uncomprehending as the lever was pulled and the noose tightened, ending the life of a boy not much older than Seonghwa himself. He wanted to turn his head, to avert his eyes from the scene that would fill his nights with a sick, all-consuming terror, but he found that he could not look away. It was like watching a car crash; even though the display was scarring, people couldn’t bring themselves to ignore it. He found himself rendered mute, wanting to scream out but unable to make the slightest noise. The rest of the crowd did not seem to share his paralysis as they, to Seonghwa’s utter horror, began to cheer and hurl insults at the dying boy. 

Seonghwa stared in disbelief. How could anyone find satisfaction in the tragedy that was occurring? How could anyone witness the heartbreak on those brothers’ faces and still think that this death, this murder, was justified?

Seonghwa suddenly felt sick to his stomach, unable to stay in the same place as the people who cheered at the loss of life simply because one man said it was necessary. He turned and began elbowing his way through the crowd, desperate to leave this moment behind, outrun the day his innocence had been shattered.

Seonghwa ran, tears blurring his vision, out of the square and through the alleyways, not daring to stop till he reached his house. He burst in through the doors, and ran up to his room, where he collapsed on the floor by his bed, sobs wracking his body. He found his mind filled with images of tearstained cheeks and his ears ringing with the cries of an anguished child. 

That was first time Seonghwa thought that perhaps, the Royal Navy was not what he had been told it was. After witnessing first hand how their cruelty could ruin lives, tear apart families, and bring an orange-haired boy to tears, Seonghwa felt horrified at the thought of becoming one of them in the future. 

‘No,’ he thought to himself, with all the single-minded determination of youth. ‘I will not allow that to happen. I will die before I let myself become like that.’


	2. A Promise Is Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa carefully held the bracelet to his chest, closed his eyes and made a new promise. One day he would find Joong again; the universe had arranged their first encounter so he decided to believe that it would ensure their paths crossed at least once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” ~ Aesop

It was a week after the execution and Seonghwa found that he was still haunted by nightmares of what he had seen. He spent hours in bed, tossing and turning, but never managed to get more than a few hours of sleep a night. He found himself constantly tired and on edge; his head ached and his body alternated between lethargy and random bursts of energy. Unsure of how to solve this problem, Seonghwa began talking long walks around town, hoping to tire himself out enough that sleep would come easier. He wasn’t sure it was working but it gave him an excuse to be out of the house for a few hours and Seonghwa cherished that small freedom.

It was during one of his walks that he heard the sound, coming from the street behind the church. At first Seonghwa was not sure if had really heard anything. He waited, and when a few minutes passed in silence, he decided he must have imagined it. Perhaps his lack of sleep was affecting him more than he thought. He was about to keep walking, when the cries started again, softer but still there. He listened attentively: it sounded like a child was crying. Seonghwa hesitated, unsure of whether he should help or just keep moving. _It could be a trap_ , he thought. _Perhaps someone is waiting behind that corner to kidnap the person foolish enough to explore back alleyways alone_. He started to walk past the alley, then stopped, his conscience getting the better of him. On the off-chance that someone actually was in need of help, Seonghwa figured he was honour-bound to at least try and provide some assistance. 

Mind made up, he walked swiftly but silently down the street, then paused, peeking his head around the corner to see who was there. To his surprise, it was the orange-haired boy from the town square, the one who had pleaded his brother’s innocence, only to be dragged away without mercy. The boy was curled up against the wall, soft cries causing his shoulders to shake. He looked worse than he had last week, thinner and more bruised, as if he had been living rough.

Seonghwa swallowed hard at the thought; he did not like to see others in pain, and this scared but determined boy looked as though he had been hurt far too much for someone so young. Without a second thought, Seonghwa stepped out into the alleyway, and walked cautiously towards the huddled figure.

He stopped once he was a few steps away, taking care to seem as friendly as possible. “Hey,” he said, his voice a soft murmur, “Are you hurt? Can I help you?”  
  
Although Seonghwa had not spoken very loudly, the orange-haired boy snapped his head up as if he had shouted. He immediately sprung to his feet, and brandished a knife in front of him, pointing it threateningly in Seonghwa’s direction.

“Who are you? What do you want?” the boy cried, shifting away so he stood with his back against the wall. Now that he was standing up, Seonghwa could see his injuries better, and it didn’t look good. The boy was covered with bruises and small cuts, and he rested most of his weight on his right leg. He was shivering from the cold, and his hands shook slightly as he held the knife. Most alarming was the cut on his left arm; it was a long slash, almost from the boy’s elbow to his wrist and it was still oozing blood, but the boy paid no attention to it, focusing on the intruder who could be a potential threat. 

Seonghwa’s heart broke to see someone so hurt, so distrustful of others that he expected all his encounters to end in pain. He backed away, and held his hands out, palms forward to show that he didn’t have any weapons. 

“I’m Seonghwa.” he said, keeping his voice soft. “I was passing by the church when I heard someone crying. I came to see if I could help. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

The boy snorted, obviously not believing that story. Seonghwa didn’t blame him; had he been in that position he wasn’t sure he would have believed himself either. After a few moments of tense silence, the boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Seonghwa.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Why haven’t you attacked me yet?” he demanded, making a valiant effort to keep his voice from shaking, but his nerves betrayed him.

Seonghwa kept his voice soft, and his body language non-threatening as he replied, “I told you, I just want to help. I know a little bit about healing, I could help bandage that wound.”

“I’m fine.” The boy replied, keeping the knife pointed at Seonghwa, even as his other hand shifted to curl protectively around the wound on his arm.

“You’re bleeding,” Seonghwa pointed out mildly, gesturing to the boy’s arm where the blood from the cut had started to pool and drip onto the ground.

The boy cursed, attempting to staunch the flow with his hand, but the cut was large and he couldn’t do much. Seonghwa slowly reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief.

“Here,” he said, tossing the linen square to the other boy. The orange haired boy deftly caught it with one hand, and pressed it against the bleeding wound all the while keeping his knife in front of himself and his eyes on Seonghwa, who was a little impressed at the skilled multitasking.

He said as much to the boy, who continued to glare suspiciously in Seonghwa’s direction, but he did lower his knife slightly, which Seonghwa counted as a win.

Seonghwa decided to try his luck, and move a little closer, pausing when the boy tensed again. He continued slowly, hoping to show the boy he meant no harm, “It’s ok,” he assured. “I just want to look at your wound, see if I can clean it and bandage it maybe.”

The boy didn’t respond, but he also didn’t attack him, so Seonghwa took a few more steps and closed the distance between them. Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out a relatively clean cloth and his waterskin, trying to avoid any sudden movements that could startle the boy.

“Is it alright if I clean your wound now?” he asked, not wanting to touch the boy without his explicit permission. The orange-haired boy stared at Seonghwa for another minute, then clenched his jaw and nodded minutely. He removed the now blood-soaked pocket square from his arm, and Seonghwa hissed as he saw the wound up close.

Seonghwa gently poured some water onto the wound, hoping to wash away the blood before assessing the damage. He resolutely ignored the knife in the other boy’s hand, and continued to focus on his task, stopping every now and then to wipe the blood away with the cloth in his other hand.

“You never told me your name,” he said lightly, trying to keep the boy’s attention diverted. 

“You can call me Joong,” the boy replied after a slight pause. Seonghwa hummed, keeping his tone neutral.

He noticed a small, leather bracelet on the other boy’s arm, the braided ropes circling a dark blue gemstone. Seonghwa wondered if it was a keepsake from his brother, but decided it was not his place to ask. 

He continued with his task, and once he had cleaned the majority of the blood, Seonghwa breathed a small sigh of relief. The cut was relatively shallow and smaller than he had originally thought. As long as it was bandaged and kept clean, it should heal without any complications. 

He dug through his bag again, cursing softly when he realized that he had not brought his first aid kit. Sighing inwardly, he reached for his shirt, carefully ripping a strip from the bottom to bind the wounds. 

Joong’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?” he asked, looking askance at Seonghwa, who was now focused on wrapping the linen tightly around the other boy’s arm. 

“Binding your wound,” Seonghwa replied softly, “It needs to be wrapped so that the cut doesn’t get infected.”  
  
The orange-haired boy actually rolled his eyes, then said, “Yes, but why did you tear your shirt to bind it?”  
  
“I didn’t have any other clean cloth,” Seonghwa said, as if it was as simple as that. He finished wrapping the linen around the wound, then tied it off with a double-knot to stop the bandage from unravelling. The boy stared at the now-bandaged wound, then at Seonghwa, before he huffed and pocketed his knife, “You’re kind of stupid, you know that?”  
  
Seonghwa tried not to show his surprise at the sudden change in attitude “Maybe,” he agreed, good-naturedly, “Are you hurt anywhere else?”  
  
The boy looked as though he was seriously questioning Seonghwa’s mental capabilities. “I threatened you with a knife,” he said, as if Seonghwa could have somehow missed that fact. 

“Yes,” Seonghwa agreed.

The boy continued, with an incredulous tone, “I could have stabbed you, and you’re asking me if I’m hurt anywhere else?” 

“Well, I didn’t think you were really going to stab me,” Seonghwa stated, looking rather confident in that fact.

“You’re placing an awful lot of trust in someone you’ve never met before,” the boy replied, shivering slightly as the wind picked up in intensity.

Seonghwa immediately stripped off his coat, and held it out to the other boy. “I have seen you before,” he replied without thinking. “Last week, at your brother’s—“  Too late, Seonghwa realized that it was probably not a good idea to mention the death of his brother, but the words were already out.

Joong looked stricken, as if someone had knocked the air out of him, and Seonghwa’s gut twisted with guilt. 

_Carless,_ Seonghwa chided himself, _he was so careless._

“Sorry,” Seonghwa said, watching as the boy’s jaw clenched, as if he was grinding his teeth. When the boy spoke, his voice had lost all of the good humour it had contained mere moments ago.

“You saw me last week,” he gritted out, his tone low and defensive, “And you decided… to what? Come mock me? Tell me he deserved it? Turn me in too?”

Despite the anger in his voice, Seonghwa noticed that the boy hadn’t pulled out his knife again, which made him hope that he hadn’t completely screwed this up yet. 

Seonghwa shook his head, one hand still holding out his coat. “I didn’t know it was you. I just thought someone was hurt, but when I saw you, I recognized you from the… the execution. I’m sorry,” he continued, wanting to offer his condolences, “it wasn’t right what happened to your brother. I wish I could have done something to stop it.”

The other boy said nothing, just continued to stare, and Seonghwa shivered a little at the intensity of his gaze.

“It’s not your fault,” he said finally, “So why would you apologize?”

_You wouldn’t say that if you knew who my parents were_ , he thought, _if you knew who I was._

But all he said was, “It wasn’t fair. He was innocent,” Seonghwa insisted, “and I’m sorry that he had to die.”  


Joong narrowed his eyes. “Even if what they accused him of was true? Even if he really had helped those pirates? If he was a pirate himself?”  
  
Seonghwa swallowed, choosing his next words carefully. “Even then,” he said slowly, “I don’t think he should have been killed. Everyone deserves a second chance.” 

The orange-haired boy snorted, looking away as he answered, “You’re a fool if you believe that.” 

“Maybe,” Seonghwa agreed, mimicking his earlier response, “But I would rather be foolish and kind, than smart and cruel.”  
  
This made the boy startle, as if Seonghwa’s words were unexpected. He looked at Seonghwa again, attempting to discern any falsehood in his speech. Seonghwa met his gaze confidently; this was something he truly believed.

The other boy sighed, then sank down to sit cross-legged on the ground. “You really are foolish, but at least you’re honest. I don’t think you're here to hurt me.” 

Seonghwa nodded, but remained standing, gripping the coat in his hand uncertainly. “Will you—are you cold?” he said, instead of asking one of the thousand questions that filled his mind. 

The orange-haired boy looked mildly amused; it was giving Seonghwa whiplash the way he switched between emotions so quickly. “If I take the coat,” he drawled, “will you stop looking like a kicked puppy?”

Seonghwa didn’t dignify that question with a response, instead choosing to reach down and drape the jacket over the boy’s shoulders. 

Joong looked up at Seonghwa, and reached his hands up to feel the material at the collar. He rubbed his fingers gently over the fabric, looking awed at the texture “It’s so soft,” he murmured. “I didn’t know they made clothes like this.” 

Seonghwa felt a pang of guilt at the reminder of the disparity in their situations; although his family were not members of the aristocracy, they were well-off, and Seonghwa had never had to worry about money. He knew on some level that there were lots of people who weren’t as lucky as him, but it was startling to be reminded of that fact so viscerally.

“Sorry,” he said, unsure what he was truly apologizing for.

Joong looked at him, confused. “What are you apologizing for?” he asked, shifting to slip his arms through the sleeves of the coat. 

“I…don’t know,” Seonghwa shook his head, as if to clear it of unnecessary thoughts. Joong looked at Seonghwa as if he knew that was a deflection, but instead of commenting on it, he said, “Sit down. My neck hurts to keep looking up at you.” 

Seonghwa startled, and sat down hastily. He thought he saw the orange-haired boy stifle a laugh, but he decided not to comment. He crossed his legs on the ground, and folded his hands in his lap, feeling oddly like he was sitting with one of his tutors.

“You never answered my question,” he said. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No,” the boy said, then winced, and wrapped a hand around his middle. 

Seonghwa looked pointedly at his hand. “Is it your ribs?”  


Joong sighed, then nodded, as if it pained him to admit his injuries. Seonghwa frowned; there wasn’t much he could do for broken ribs, but maybe it was only a fracture. Seonghwa scooted a little closer, then held his hands out.  
  
“May I…” he trailed off, unsure how to word his request. Fortunately, the boy understood, and he removed his hands, leaning back against the wall. 

Seonghwa prodded gently along the boy’s chest, frowning when he hissed in pain at the contact.  
  
“Sorry,” he murmured, lightening the pressure from his hands. The boy shook his head. “Its fine,” he said, though his hands clenched into fists at his side from the pain. Seonghwa laid a palm flat against the boy’s chest and told him to take a deep breath in. 

“How did that feel?” Seonghwa asked, “Did it hurt?” 

Joong shook his head, and Seonghwa breathed a sigh of relief. That meant the ribs were only cracked, and hopefully would heal on their own given enough time. It was dangerous to leave fracture wounds untreated, but Seonghwa was less than confident about his ability to wrap the injury properly, and a clumsy bandage could make the situation worse.

Seonghwa wished there was something else he could do. He wished desperately that he had the ability to help this boy who had already been hurt so much, wished he could have saved his brother in the first place, wished he could heal him now, wished he could _just do something._ As those words echoed through his mind, Seonghwa felt an odd instinct rise in him, some part of himself he wasn’t completely attuned to. He pressed his palm more firmly against the boy’s chest and focused, unsure what he was doing, but willing to trust his instincts. 

A sudden rush of energy flooded through his system. His senses seemed to open up and a wave of visual and auditory input flooded his mind, making him close his eyes against the overload. The sheer amount of power rushing through his bones threatened to overtake him, and somehow, Seonghwa understood that if he didn’t direct the power to an outlet, it would overwhelm him. Struggling to control the pulses of energy, Seonghwa concentrated, focusing all his thoughts on his intention to heal, to mend the fractured ribs beneath his palm, and the energy seemed to respond to his thoughts, flowing down his arm, through his fingertips and into the orange-haired boy’s chest.

Joong gasped, a sharp intake of breath that sounded more surprised than pained, but it was enough to shake Seonghwa from his haze. He tore his hands away, and lifted his gaze to meet Joong’s, both their eyes wide with surprise.

Seonghwa stared at own his palms in shock. What had just happened? His body thrummed with the leftover power; he could feel the energy making his hands shake. He felt odd and jittery, suddenly aware of a million little details in the surrounding area that he hadn’t noticed before.

Meanwhile, Joong lifted a hand to poke gingerly at his own chest, then frowned in surprise. He went to poke at himself again, but Seonghwa batted his fingers away before the boy could injure himself even more.

“What are you doing?” Seonghwa scolded. “You’ll make it worse.” 

The boy ignored him, moving his hand along his ribs. Then he looked at Seonghwa with widened eyes. “It doesn’t hurt anymore,” he said, tone full of surprise.

“What?” Seonghwa questioned, voice incredulous. _Had he done that?_

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Joong repeated, then laughed in amazement. “How did you do that?”  


Seonghwa shook his head, mystified. “I- I didn’t do anything. I just thought about healing, about how much I wanted to help, and I felt this surge of energy rush through me…”

The orange-haired boy looked at him in wonder. “You’re a mage?” he asked, voice hushed with awe.

Seonghwa shook his head again, not able to comprehend what had happened. “No— I’ve never done _anything_ like that before.” He paused, then continued, voice rising with hysteria. “I—I can’t be a mage, that’s—my parents would kill me if they—or the Navy would want to experiment—I—I’m not,” he insisted, desperate to believe himself. “I can’t be.” 

Joong looked at him with sympathy. “You healed my ribs with a single touch,” he said, his voice soft, but firm. “I’ve never heard of anyone who wasn’t a born-mage being able to wield that kind of power.”

The pair of them sat in silence for a moment, as Seonghwa tried to wrap his head around the life-changing information he had just discovered about himself. No matter how many times he tried to make sense of it, his mind refused to believe what had happened. _It can’t be, it can’t be…_

“Are you okay?” Joong asked after a while, looking unsure of how to help Seonghwa, hands fluttering aimlessly at his side.

“I don’t—” Seonghwa shook his head, ignoring the question.“How did it feel? When I…when I healed you?” Seonghwa asked, wanting to distract himself from the rising panic in his mind.

Joong frowned, and rubbed his chest as if he could feel the lingering effect of Seonghwa’s magic. “Warm,” he said, after a long pause. “I wasn’t sure what you were doing at first, but then I felt this rush of warmth through my chest and my ribs didn’t hurt anymore.”

“Are there—do you feel different?” he asked, curious despite himself. 

Joong shook his head. “Not really; I feel a bit more energized, but that could be the shock talking.” 

Seonghwa chuckled weakly, but his mind was too panicked to properly register the humour. His breathing had become faster, panicked as each breath felt like it failed to deliver enough oxygen to his lungs. Seonghwa’s heart rate picked up, his vision clouding slightly as he lost touch with his immediate surroundings.

Joong, as if sensing his rising panic, started talking; aimless chatter that Seonghwa mostly tuned out, focusing instead on the cadence of the other boy’s words, the soothing murmur working to calm the storm in his mind. 

After a few minutes, Seonghwa felt his heart rate settle and he took a deep breath, letting the cool evening air bring him back to reality. Joong was still talking, but he faded off when he saw that Seonghwa had returned to himself. 

“Better now?” he asked, voice soft and comforting, completely unlike the hostile boy who had threatened Seonghwa with a knife. It seemed, Seonghwa realized with a start, that Joong could be incredibly kind once his initial defences came down. 

“Yes,” Seonghwa whispered, lacking the energy to talk much louder.

“It will be alright, you know,” Joong continued conversationally, laying a gentle hand on Seonghwa’s arm. “You’re still you, just with some extra powers.” 

Seonghwa nodded; he wasn’t sure what to do about this new discovery, but he had realized that panicking wouldn’t be of any help. He just wanted to forget about all of this for a little while, and figure out what to do with his powers later.

“It’s getting kind of late,” Joong said, as if realizing that Seonghwa wanted to change the subject. “Won’t your parents be worried?”

“Not really,” he said, not wanting to discuss the subject.“Where are you going to stay tonight?” Seonghwa questioned instead, hoping to distract the other boy. He wanted to know if the boy had a home to return to, but he figured it was rude to ask something like that directly. He stood up and tipped his head uncertainly towards the sky, “Are you going to stay here? I think it might rain…”

Joong shook his head, carefully rising with his injured arm braced against his chest. “No, I’ll sneak inside the church once it gets darker. The pews are uncomfortable but at least it’s warm and dry. It’s where I’ve been staying this past week.”

“Is that why you were hiding out in this alley?”

Joong nodded, looking a little uncomfortable as he said, “People tend to stay away from the church grounds and it’s safer than the place I used to live, so…” 

“Oh,” Seonghwa said, gut twisting again at the reminder of the differences between them. “So, your parents…” he trailed off, unsure how to finish his question.

“They’re dead,” Joong confirmed, a frown twisting at his lips.

“Sorry,” Seonghwa said, brows furrowed in remorse.

Joong shook his head, smoothing out his expression. “It was a long time ago. My brother…” he stopped, and cleared his throat before continuing. “My brother, he was the one who found me after their death. He took care of me, even though he didn’t have to.”  
  
Seonghwa must have looked confused, because Joong elaborated. “Me and Eden-hyung, we’re not blood-related. Eden took me in when I was around four years old, and I’ve lived with him ever since. He’s… all the family I had. And now he’s gone.”

Seonghwa felt tears well up in his eyes, and quickly turned his head to the side as he wiped them away. This was not his pain to cry over; if Joong could be brave, then Seonghwa should be too. 

“I wish…” he started, then stopped, unsure of how to continue. “I wish I could do more to help you,” he said finally, locking eyes with the orange-haired boy.

Joong smiled faintly as he said, “You have helped me. More than I thought anyone ever would. My brother’s the only other person I know who would have been stupid enough to walk into a sketchy back alleyway unarmed, then offer to heal the person threatening them.”

Seonghwa shook his head, though he felt his lips tilt up at the other boy’s humour. “I’m glad I was stupid enough to do that. Maybe my stupidity will help others too.”

“One can always hope,” the boy quipped. 

Seonghwa rolled his eyes, then decided to change the subject. “By the way,” he said, digging through his bag as he spoke, “I’ve got some food in here—” he paused, rummaging with both hands, and giving a cry of triumph as he pulled out an apple and some bread. “It’s not much, but…”

“Thanks,” Joong said, the corner of his lips twitching up in the facsimile of a smile, as he placed the food in one of the coat’s absurdly large pockets.

“Right,” Seonghwa said, as he realized that the conversation was coming to an end, but wanting to prolong his time with the other boy somehow.

“Right,” Joong mimicked, looking amused again. Seonghwa wondered if it was his default expression. “Are you just going to stand there?”

If Seonghwa had dreaded the thought of going home before, now it was almost unbearable. “I should head back,” he agreed reluctantly, “But…”

“But what?” Joong questioned, looking a little concerned.

“I don’t want to leave you here alone,” Seonghwa admitted sheepishly, ducking his head to hide the embarrassed flush on his face.

Joong chuckled softly, “Its fine,” he said almost cheerily. “I’ve got some food, a fancy new jacket, and a magically healed wound. I’m better than I’ve been in a while.”

“Right…” Seonghwa agreed, a little concerned that Joong considered an apple, an old coat, and some first-aid all it took to improve his situation. 

“Seriously,” the boy insisted, “I’m used to looking out for myself, don’t worry.”

Seonghwa knew that the boy was right, and that he could likely fend for himself, but he couldn’t help but worry. 

“Okay. But I’ll come back tomorrow, as soon as I can, with some more food and blankets and some clothes too, maybe... I think I’ve got a couple shirts that would fit you…” he trailed off, already mentally packing the things he would have to make sure to bring to Joong the next day.

“Its fine, I don’t need charity,” the boy frowned, looking a little upset. 

_Oh no_ , Seonghwa thought. ”It’s not charity!” he said quickly, not wanting his new friend to get the wrong idea, “I want to help and this is all I can do…”

Joong looked uncertain, so Seonghwa continued. “I thought we were friends now,” he said quietly. “Friends help each other.” 

The orange-haired boy sighed, “Fine,” he agreed, reluctantly. “If it’ll make you happy.”

Seonghwa was relieved, but he needed to ensure that the other boy wouldn’t go back on his word. “Promise?”

“Promise what?”

“That you’ll be here and you won’t run away,” Seonghwa said, voicing aloud his fear that Joong would disappear the moment he turned away; vanish into the mist like a ghost. “Promise that you’ll let me help you?”

“Okay,” he acquiesced, with a glint in his eyes as he continued. “Only if you promise me something too.” 

“Anything,” Seonghwa replied confidently. He had just met the boy, but he couldn’t imagine that Joong would ask something of him he wasn’t willing to do. 

“Don’t let other people control you,” he said, with a serious expression. “I don’t know what it feels like to be a mage, but I do know what its like to be hunted and on the run, to have others judge you for things you can’t control. I know it can be scary, but I can already tell that you’re smart and brave and kind and you have a gift. Don’t let them tell you otherwise and don’t let them take that away from you, okay? Always fight for your freedom.” 

Seonghwa was at a loss for words, shaken at how this boy, this near-stranger had surmised his greatest fears in a few short sentences. He felt off-kilter and vulnerable, like the other boy had reached into his chest and rooted around in his heart, revealing his secrets in mere seconds. 

“I ... I promise,” he finally said, deciding to think about Joong’s words later, when he would have the privacy to dissect them properly. 

“Good,” he said, looking pleased. “Now take this.” He extended his hand towards Seonghwa, handing over the leather bracelet that had previously adorned his wrist.

“Wha—Joong, this is yours. I can’t take this.” Seonghwa said, flustered with the sudden present. 

Joong stepped forward, and pressed the braided strip into Seonghwa’s hands. “You have to,” he insisted. “I have no other way to pay you back for helping me today.”  
  
Seonghwa frowned.“You don’t need to pay me back,” he said, “it was a favour between friends.” 

Joong sighed, as if Seonghwa was being deliberately obtuse. “Fine,” he huffed. “Then consider this a memento: something to me remember me by in case…”

“No,” Seonghwa interrupted, panic rising in his chest at the thought of never seeing the orange-haired boy again. “I promised I would come back.” 

“I know, but—”

“A promise is a promise,” Seonghwa said, stubborn and unwilling to yield. “I never go back on my word.”  
  
“Alright,” Joong conceded. “I believe you; but you should keep the bracket anyway. My brother… my brother used to say that gem isn’t just blue, its deep-sea blue; the colour of freedom and power. I think it will help you. Keep it safe for me.” 

Seonghwa swallowed. The bracelet in his palm felt suddenly heavy, weighted with Joong’s memories. Seonghwa slipped it onto his wrist carefully as he said, “Of course. I’ll treasure it always.”

“Good,” the boy smiled faintly, then made a shooing motion with his hands. “Now go! It’s getting late and you’re no use to me if you get lost on the way home.”

“Alright,” Seonghwa said, already comforted by Joong’s teasing brand of affection. “Stay safe. I’ll be back tomorrow. I promise.”

“I know," Joong grinned properly for the first time that evening, a bright crooked smile that made him seem luminescent despite the darkness of the twilight hour. “I’ll see you then.”

Seonghwa backed out of the alley, keeping the image of that smile in his mind the entire walk home.

**…**

When Seonghwa returned to the alley the next day, with a bag full of supplies he had managed to sneak out of the house, the sun was just passing its highest point. The afternoon air was still and warm, and Seonghwa was eager to ensure that Joong was alright, that he hadn’t been hurt. When he arrived at the backstreet of the church, the alley was dark and empty, no sign of the bright orange-haired boy. Seonghwa shrugged, sat down against the wall and set down his bag to wait. 

_Perhaps Joong was busy,_ he thought to himself. _He would be here soon._

So Seonghwa waited and waited, but no one came. He stayed at the alley till it was dark, shivering against the wall, unwilling to go home until the last possible moment, just in case the other boy showed up. When it was finally too dark and too cold to stay outside any longer, Seonghwa reluctantly made his way home. That night he laid in bed, unable to sleep for the worries plaguing his mind. _Something must have come up,_ Seonghwa thought to himself, _Joong would surely be back tomorrow._

So he returned to the alley the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. But a week went by with no sign of the orange-haired boy, and Seonghwa began to wonder if the orange-haired boy hadn’t simply run away, left town to start a new life somewhere else, forgetting all about Seonghwa and their promise. Eventually, a month has passed without any sign of the boy’s presence, and Seonghwa began to despair. He wondered if he should search other places in the town, see if maybe the orange-haired boy was hiding somewhere else, but he was unsure how to go about his quest. Asking around town for a small fairy-like boy with hair the colour of lantern flame was likely not going to yield helpful results. Nonetheless, Seonghwa decided to give it a try. He asked around the neighbourhoods surrounding the church, knocking on almost every door he could find, but no one had seen a boy matching that description. He even debated asking his parents for help, but ultimately decided that even if they were able to find Joong, they might not be inclined to actually help him. He could not ask his tutors, as they reported to his parents and there were no other trusted adults he knew around town. 

Thus, Seonghwa had no choice but to continue his search alone. At first, he would return to the back alley of the church every day like clockwork, hoping to catch sight of the boy. However each day he returned to an empty alley, he became less and less hopeful. On good days, he wondered if maybe Joong had managed to find someone else to take care of him, someone to feed him and bandage his wounds and give him somewhere safe to sleep at night. On bad days he feared that the officials who had arrested Joong’s bother had come for him too, taking him away to rot in a dank cell. Either way the odds of meeting him again in that alley were becoming increasingly small. As his mind oscillated between the two extremes, he found it harder and harder to visit a place that brought him only disappointment. Without his realizing, Seonghwa’s visits began to dwindle, from every day to once a week, then once a month, and one day he woke to the realization that it has been one year since he had witnessed that execution and met the orange-haired boy in the alley.

He returned to the alley that day, his first visit in weeks and spent the afternoon sitting against the wall, wondering how long his sliver of hope would last him. Seonghwa stayed there till nightfall that day, and when he got home, he went to his nightstand and pulled out the ratty leather bracelet he hadn’t looked at in almost a year. He examined it with almost clinical detachment. It looked much the same as he remembered; three thin braided strips of leather twisted into a circle decorated with a single glass bead of the darkest blue. Deep sea blue, the boy had said, the colour of the mysterious ocean, the colour that means freedom.

Seonghwa carefully held the bracelet to his chest, closed his eyes and made a new promise. One day he would find Joong again; the universe had arranged their first encounter so he decided to believe that it would ensure their paths crossed at least once more.

Until then he would work on fulfilling the promise he made that day: to become his own person, free from his parent’s control. To do that he would need to seek out the knowledge that had been hidden from him. He needed to learn more about his magic, figure out how to control the energy he could feel thrumming through his veins. He needed to learn how to fight, how to protect himself and those he cared about so that he would not be helpless the next time he witnessed injustice. He would not let ignorance make him a mindless soldier, a weapon in someone else’s war. He would learn and train and become someone who could make their own choices. He would not let anyone take away his freedom.


	3. A Message At The Lighthouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something didn’t feel right to Hongjoong. His instincts had been driving him crazy the moment he set foot in this town, telling him that something was going to happen. He had waited too long, convincing himself that he was just being paranoid. Now, he was more sure than ever that he had been right. The clouds had been crackling with tension since that morning, the air charged with enough energy that even Hongjoong could feel it; there was a storm coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “There’s no where you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.” ~ John Lennon

-10 years later-

Hongjoong sighed in contentment as he stepped onto the docks. As much as he loved his ship, five weeks straight sailing without sight of land was a bit much, even for him. He breathed in the fresh air, enjoying the feeling of steady ground beneath him and watched as the members of the Aurora disembarked, all eager to explore Kader, the town they had just arrived at.

Mingi, the ship’s quartermaster, bounded off the gangplank, looking for all the world like an overgrown puppy, his curly black hair a tousled mess. Seeing him race down the docks, bright-eyed and a cheerful smile on his face, it was hard to believe he was the same person who could charge fearlessly into battle against his enemies and leave a trail of bodies in his wake. But then again, Mingi had always been a jumble of contradictions. Kind, but fierce, clumsy yet sharp-witted, and always willing to do what was needed: it was why he was in charge of discipline on the ship. Mingi could make the decisions that Hongjoong himself sometimes hesitated to make and mete out punishments to keep the, at times, overly free-spirited crew in line. It was an unavoidable task and it was something Hongjoong would always be grateful to him for. He watched as Mingi reached the end of the docks and stopped, turning to gesture impatiently at a figure emerging onto the deck of the ship. 

It was Yunho, Aurora’s medic, and the latest addition to their crew. Hongjoong had met the tall, chestnut-haired boy a few months ago, after a bar fight gone wrong. Hongjoong, Mingi, and Jongho, the master gunner, had been unlucky enough to get caught up in a tavern brawl that got out of hand, and had been injured in the chaos. Mingi had taken the brunt of the damage that night, from a chair to the back of his legs that left him bedridden for nearly two weeks. Finding a safe place to recuperate could have been a problem if it hadn’t been for Yunho; the medic had been kind enough to tend to their various injuries as well provide lodging for Mingi until he could get back on his feet. During those two weeks, Yunho and Mingi became fast friends, kindred souls who soon acted like they had known each other for years. Once Mingi’s legs had healed and the Aurora was set to move on, Hongjoong was not entirely surprised when Yunho made the decision to give up his job at the local apothecary and travel with the crew instead. Neither Hongjoong nor the rest of the crew had been opposed; Yunho was as kind as he was talented, and a ship medic would be an important addition to their numbers. Yunho had no previous experience sailing, so Hongjoong had worried initially about how he would transition to living his life on the seas, but the brown-haired boy had adapted to his new environment with ease. Within a few months he had found his place on the Aurora as a healer, confidant and member of Hongjoong’s trusted inner circle. Sometimes the captain wondered if there was more to Yunho than the medic let on, but he figured it wasn’t his place to pry into other people’s past. Whatever secrets the boy may be carrying, he would share them if and when he felt ready. 

Now, he watched with a smile as Yunho made his way over to an increasingly impatient looking Mingi; the two of them would be off to search the markets for herbs to restock the ship’s medical cabinet. At least that was Yunho’s plan: he had no doubt Mingi would waylay them at the first sign of the slightest entertainment. Those two were bound to land themselves in some kind of trouble; he just hoped there wouldn’t be a repeat of the _parrot fiasco…_ Hongjoong had dealt with enough aviary droppings that day to last an entire lifetime, thank you very much. 

Normally he would have pulled them aside before they left, reminded them to be discreet about their identities, but he wasn’t really worried about running into Royal Navy officials here. Kader was a small town in the middle of nowhere, and Hongjoong had ordered the ship to pull in its colours anyway, just to be safe. San said he was being a paranoid old-man, but Hongjoong would rather be paranoid than risk capture by the authorities. Speak of the devil, San, who had just run off the gangplank, leaped over to where Hongjoong was standing and threw an arm over his shoulder. 

“Hey, Captain,” he drawled, and Hongjoong could already see where this was going. 

“No,” he cut in, firm, because that was the only way to deal with his first-mate sometimes. 

San’s mouth dropped open. “Wha—but I—,” he spluttered, “I haven’t even said anything yet.”

Hongjoong huffed and shrugged San’s arm of his shoulders as he began to walk down the docks. “You didn’t have to,” he said. “You only call me Captain when you’ve done something or you want something. Seeing as we just docked, I assume you’re about to ask permission to bring Wooyoung to the local tavern.” 

San laughed, a light, airy sound, as he doggedly followed Hongjoong down the path. “You know me so well, hyung,” he chirped brightly. 

Hongjoong fixed San with a stern look. “Do you not remember what happened last month? With the ale and the painting worth a hundred silvers?”  
  
San’s grin faltered slightly, an expression of remorse crossing his face. 

“Exactly,” Hongjoong continued, taking his silence as an answer. “Why would I let you even go _near_ a tavern after that catastrophe?”  


San’s face brightened, like the sun coming out on a cloudy day. “Because you love me and want me to be happy?” 

Hongjoong just looked at him, unimpressed, and watched as the smile turned into a pout.

“Hyungggg,” San whined, “I said I was sorry, didn’t I? Besides, that night was entirely Yeosang’s fault and you know it! I’ll be good this time, I promise! Please, please, please, please…"

Hongjoong sighed; he was probably going to regret this. “I want you two back before nightfall, understand? If I have to drag your drunk asses back to the ship one more time—”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” San shouted, not waiting for Hongjoong to finish his threat before he grabbed him in a brief hug. "You won’t regret this!” he yelled, as he ran back towards the ship, most likely looking for Wooyoung. 

Hongjoong shook his head; he admired San’s overflowing energy and boundless optimism. He didn’t know where the younger boy kept all his good cheer but it certainly helped make him the mood maker of the crew. The younger members seemed to take a particular shine to San: they would flock to him during mealtimes, asking him to recount tales of his previous adventures. On the other hand, Hongjoong preferred solitude; he would often spend his down time in his cabin, reading up on folklore or fiddling with his compositions. It wasn’t that he didn’t like being with his crew, but he often found himself a little apart from them. 

He was the Captain; it was his responsibility to ensure their safety and if something went wrong, then that was on him. San, and the others, would argue of course. Claim that each of them played an equal role in the decisions made on board, which was true most of the time, but that didn’t change the fact that at the end of the day, Hongjoong had the final word. He was the oldest, the one who had spent the most time on the seas, and the burden of that experience meant that it was his job to protect the rest of them. 

_If anything happened to any of them,_ Hongjoong thought, _I don’t know how I would live with myself._

He sighed; there was something about coming onto land that made him more maudlin, more prone to brooding. After all he had spent the better part of the last 10 years on the water, sailing on the Black Swan as part of Namjoon’s crew. Then just last year, Namjoon had suggested that perhaps it was time for Hongjoong to make his own path, and although he had been reluctant at first, now he was grateful for the push.

He treasured his ship, a smaller vessel the Black Swan had captured in a raid on a northern water Royal Navy Base. Hongjoong had been the one to lead the raid; he had spent weeks going over the maps and coming up with a plan that would allow them to enter the area almost unseen. It had been gruelling work; in the days leading up to the raid, he slept less than two hours a night, too busy pulling his hair out over all the things that might go wrong. However, contrary to Hongjoong’s concerns, the raid had gone exactly to plan, and as a reward, Namjoon turned over the rights of the captured ship to him. The next month, San and a few of the newer members he had been particularly close to, parted ways with the Black Swan to become a part of Hongjoong’s new crew. 

In the initial days of his captaincy of the Aurora, their crew had been almost pitifully small; only the bare bones of who was needed to run a ship. Over the course of his first few months at sea, he had managed to find enough members to flesh out the crew, and more importantly, he had managed to find some trusted friends. With each successful raid, their crew had started to make a name for themselves; some Royal Navy officials had taken to calling them the Pirate Kings, a name that pleased his members immensely. Aurora became known for their flawless raids; nothing was unplanned or impromptu, giving them the illusion of being impossible to catch. Their bounties were still small compared to the members of Black Swan, but their notoriety was spreading. It made Hongjoong proud, but it also meant that he spent more nights sitting up on the deck, wondering how he could keep everyone safe now. He sometimes wished he had Namjoon to lead alongside him, but deep down he knew that if he had stayed on the Black Swan, he would never have had this chance to grow as a captain and a person. In the end, Namjoon had been right; it had been time for him to start his own journey. 

Now, it was almost a year since he had seen the members of the Black Swan in person. He and Namjoon exchanged letters whenever possible, leaving notes at port towns they each knew the other would eventually visit, but it was a rather slow method of communication. There were messenger birds that could carry important missives across vast distances quite quickly, but those services were expensive, so they were typically used as a last resort. According to Namjoon’s latest letter, the two crews would have crossed paths a few months down the line at Brigid’s Landing, but then around two weeks ago, Hongjoong had received a note via messenger bird, telling him to drop everything and sail as fast as possible to Kader, a small port town on the east coast of the mainland. The message was frustratingly vague, and Hongjoong had immediately set course for their new destination, curious as to what could warrant such urgency. Unfortunately, the Aurora had been sailing northern waters when they received the letter, so it had taken them the better part of two weeks to reach their destination. Hongjoong hadn’t seen Namjoon’s ship when he pulled into port, but he knew that didn’t mean much. Black Swan’s crew was far more infamous than his own after all, and they would hardly risk anchoring directly at the docks, even for a small town in the middle of nowhere. Plus, their crew had a talented mage onboard who was specialized in concealment, so it was possible their vessel was nearby, covered in enchantments and spells that would render it invisible to the untrained eye.

Thus, Hongjoong’s current plan was to head straight to the local lighthouse, which was where the two crews had agreed to rendezvous if a meeting spot hadn’t been previously arranged. Either one of the crew members would be waiting there, or there would be a note telling him where to go next. 

Hongjoong took the walk to the lighthouse at a leisurely pace. The weather was perfect, warm with a cool breeze blowing in off the ocean as he strolled along the waterfront, taking in the sights around him. This was Hongjoong’s first time visiting Kader so he took the chance to learn as much about the layout of the town as he could. Namjoon had taught him to observe the architecture and the landscape of each new place he visited, drawing a map in his mind as he walked through the streets. In case the crew ever needed to make a quick getaway, he would have an idea of how to best use his surroundings to their advantage. It was one of the first skills he had learned from the pirate captain, even before he had been taught to wield a sword or gun. Namjoon had always emphasized the importance of strategy, drilling into Hongjoong that an attack without a plan was almost certainly doomed to fail. 

Now, Hongjoong did his best to follow the words of his mentor as he made his way to the lighthouse. From what he could see, the town was rather quaint, the sort of place one might visit for a quiet seaside retreat. He noted how the houses along the beachfront seemed to be built in the Greek style, with columned front porches and clean lines leading up to a stucco roof. On the other hand, the shuttered windows thrown open against the heat had a distinctly French influence, and Hongjoong could even see places in the decor where eastern influence had seeped through. It was likely this town had been a part of several empires; the cultural remnants of its colonization were still visible in its architecture. 

Rather than appearing disorganized, all of these mixed elements simply added to the unique charm of the town. It was a beautiful place, and it made Hongjoong itch for his composition notebook. There was something about this place that tugged at him, pulled at his heartstrings in a way he couldn’t quite understand. He couldn’t help but feel as though he was meant to be here; as if it had been his destiny to arrive at this town. 

Hongjoong shook his head: all those fairytales must be getting to him. He quickened his steps, focusing his mind on the task he had set out to complete. As he rounded the next corner, he could see the lighthouse ahead of him in the distance: a tall white building with a red lantern room on top, situated near the edge of a cliff. It looked new, meaning that it was likely a recent addition to the small port-side town. Hongjoong climbed towards the building, and once he reached the tower, turned to look out at the sea. The sheer size of the ocean never failed to take his breath away: he could spend a lifetime watching the waves crash against the shoreline. He didn’t see any of the members of Black Swan in the area, but that made sense since Namjoon wouldn’t have known the Aurora’s exact time of arrival. Hongjoong pulled out his compass; it was time to find Namjoon’s message. 

This particular communication system was something he and Namjoon had created a few years prior; it allowed them to leave messages for each other in any town. As far as he knew, it was a system known only to the members of their two crews. The rules were simple: whoever arrived at the designated town first would go to the local lighthouse, face northwards, walk seven steps, and leave a note buried in the ground at that location. It ensured the privacy and security of the messages, while also making them easy to find. Hongjoong had spoken to all the members of Aurora about the messages as well, on the off-chance that he was unable to reach the lighthouse himself.

Glancing at his compass, Hongjoong quickly followed those directions now and walked the seven steps northward. With a quick glance around to check that nobody was watching, he dug into the soft grass, looking for a glass bottle or container that Namjoon would have stored his message in. He searched the area for a few minutes, but finding nothing, pulled his hands back, grimacing at his soil-covered fingers.

He sighed, wiping his hands on a handkerchief from his pocket, and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut. Based on his letter, Namjoon would have arrived at Kader well before the Aurora, giving him plenty of time to visit the lighthouse. Unless something had happened to him…

_No_ , he chided himself, _don’t always assume the worst. It was odd that Namjoon hadn’t left him a message yet, but it was nothing to panic about. Not right now, at least._

**_…_ **

It was late evening by the time Hongjoong made his way back to the ship. After striking out at the lighthouse, he had spent some time walking around town, memorizing the best escape routes and familiarizing himself with all the hidden back alleys and narrow side streets. It had helped to distract him from the unease he felt at not hearing from Namjoon, but as he walked back onto the deck of the Aurora, he felt his earlier sense of panic return. 

Hongjoong dreaded to think of all the things that could have happened to Namjoon’s crew.  _They could be lost, or stranded, or capture_ —

“…tain? Captain? Hongjoong!” a voice called, interrupting him before his panicked thoughts could spiral out of control. Hongjoong turned toward the voice and saw Yeosang, the ship’s navigator, looking at him with concern from his position in the crow’s nest. He must have called his name a few times, but Hongjoong had been too lost in his own thoughts to answer.

He waved up at the golden-haired boy. “Yeosang! Sorry, I didn’t hear you! Is everything okay?” Yeosang’s look of concern melted and he gestured at Hongjoong to wait, before nimbly making his way down the rigging. He climbed with sure-footed confidence, moving amongst the ropes with an ease Hongjoong admired. The navigator reached the deck with a gentle leap, his bare feet moving soundlessly over the wooden floorboards as he walked over to where Hongjoong was standing. 

“You weren’t answering me,” he said, voice filled with gentle reproach. “I thought something had happened.”  


Hongjoong chuckled sheepishly, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had picked up from Namjoon. “Sorry,” he said. “I was thinking about something. I didn’t realize anyone else was on the ship.”

Yeosang shook his head in mock disappointment. “How you’ve made it this far, I’ll never know. How did the meeting with Namjoon go? Do you know why he wanted us to come here?”  


Hongjoong’s smile dropped at the mention of Namjoon. “I didn’t see him,” he admitted. “There wasn’t a message at the lighthouse, and I didn’t see any sign of the Black Swan either.”

Yeosang frowned. “That’s strange; from his letter I assumed that their crew would have arrived in Kader before us. There wasn’t any information from him?”

  
“None,” Hongjoong confirmed. “It doesn’t mean anything, right? I mean, its too soon to send out search parties?” 

The navigator looked at Hongjoong with a comforting expression. “Of course,” he assured. “There could be any number of reasons the Black Swan isn’t here yet. Or maybe they are here, but they’re keeping a low profile, so they didn’t get a chance to leave a message. The letter we got didn’t exactly sound like a distress call, remember?”

“Right,” Hongjoong nodded, some of the tension easing from his shoulders at Yeosang’s reasonable words. He thought back to the initial letter that Namjoon had sent. It had been a rather vague message, providing only the name of the town and the directions to arrive there as soon as possible. However, it hadn’t read as though the crew was in trouble, which was a small comfort. 

“Besides,” Yeosang continued, “the Black Swan is one of the most formidable crews on the seven seas. If there is anyone who can handle themselves, it’s Namjoon and his friends. I wouldn’t worry so much.”

“Yeah,” Hongjoong admitted “You’re right. I guess I just panicked.”  
  
Yeosang grinned, a bright smile that spelled mischief. “That’s what you do,” he quipped. “I would expect nothing less from the ship mother, after all.”

“Hey!” he yelped, offended. Yeosang laughed and danced out of the way as Hongjoong went to smack him on the head. 

“You’re getting slow, old man,” he teased, keeping a careful distance from Hongjoong’s hand.

“You’ve been spending too much time with San and Wooyoung,” the captain complained. “You used to be so polite, so respectful.” 

Yeosang snorted, “I was never polite, I was just quiet. Biding my time. I was scared you would punish me. Then I found out you’re just a big-ole-marshmallow.” 

“I’m not a— a marshmallow,” Hongjoong sputtered, indignant. “I’m very tough and—scary.”

“Sure, hyung,” Yeosang agreed, the solemn expression on his face betrayed by the way his lips twitched at the corners. “You’re the most fearsome.”  
  
Hongjoong sighed. No one on this ship respected him anymore. “Whatever,” he grumbled, changing the subject. “How come you didn’t go into town? I thought Q was going to watch the ship?” 

Yeosang sighed, a fond expression on his face. “The brat wanted to spend some time with Chanhee and Younghoon. He looked so pitiful, I couldn’t bring myself to say no.” 

Hongjoong snorted. For all his tough talk, Yeosang was immensely fond of the younger members of the crew, doting on them to no end. The golden-haired boy went out of his way to ensure the kids had someone to talk to when things got tough, though he liked to pretend he was indifferent.

“That was nice of you,” Hongjoong said, smirking when Yeosang went lightly pink at the compliment. 

“Whatever,” he muttered, gaze fixed on the deck of the ship. “I just didn’t want to listen to the brat whine all day about being left out.” 

Hongjoong laughed outright at that. “It’s alright, Yeosang. You can admit that you care about the kids, you won’t lose face,” he teased.

“I-I don’t,” Yeosang sputtered, lost for words. “Shut up, hyung,” he growled finally, looking about as intimidating as an angry kitten. 

Hongjoong smiled fondly, then took pity on the boy and changed the subject. “If you want, we can go into town now? Wooyoung and San are still at the tavern, and I want to make sure they’re staying out of trouble.”  
  
Yeosang snorted, turning to grab his shoes. He called out over his shoulder, “You’d have more luck convincing the tide to stop changing. Those two are bad enough separately; put them together and its bound to end in at least one person’s tears.”  
  
Hongjoong huffed, “I remain hopeful that one day they’ll decide to become responsible.”  
  
“You hope for the impossible,” the golden-haired navigator insisted, as followed Hongjoong down the gangplank. 

The two continued bantering amicably as they strolled into town, heading for the tavern Hongjoong had spotted earlier. The streets were more crowded now, the locals taking advantage of the summer weather to spend their evening outdoors. Hongjoong kept one eye on the crowd, always a little wary of this many strangers. As the pair turned the corner onto the main street, Hongjoong felt someone crash into him and both he and the stranger went tumbling to the ground.

“Hyung!” Yeosang called, a note of worry in his voice, as he helped the captain to his feet. Hongjoong shook his head at the navigator’s concern, indicating that he wasn’t injured. Hongjoong turned to the stranger, intending to help him to his feet, and promptly froze. 

In front of him was the most beautiful man Hongjoong had ever seen. He had ebony black hair, chiselled features and piercing storm grey eyes. He looked like a marble statue come to life. As he got to his feet, Hongjoong couldn’t help but stare at the way the stranger’s clothes clung to his form, highlighting his broad shoulders and long legs. Next to him, he could hear Yeosang snickering, probably at the dumbstruck expression on Hongjoong’s face.

“I’m so sorry,” the stranger said, his voice deep and warm. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. You’re not hurt, are you?”  
  
Mute, Hongjoong could only shake his head. There was something about this man, something beyond his ethereal looks… 

“Oh thank gods,” the stranger sighed, seeming relieved. “I hate to run off, but I’m kind of in a rush… You’re sure you’re fine?” he questioned, looking as though he was truly concerned for Hongjoong’s well-being. The words struck a chord in Hongjoong for some reason, as if he had heard them before. 

_I must be hallucinating_ , Hongjoong thought hysterically. _There’s no way people like him actually exist, and if they do, I certainly haven’t met any._

Mercifully, Yeosang decided to answer the question, as it looked like Hongjoong still wasn’t quite processing the situation. “He’s fine. Thank you,” the navigator said, tone amused. 

The stranger nodded at Yeosang, then with a final glance at Hongjoong, took off down the street, running into the dark. Hongjoong stared after him, then turned to Yeosang with a questioning look. 

Yeosang sighed. “Yes, that actually happened. No, you did not hit your head.”  
  
Hongjoong shook his head, still in disbelief. “People don’t look like that. Not in real life.” 

The golden-haired navigator rolled his eyes, but didn’t respond as he continued walking down the street. Hongjoong rushed to catch up, almost tripping over his own feet.

“I’m serious, Yeosang,” he insisted. “Real people aren’t that beautiful.”  
  
“Hyung, it was dark and you saw him for less than a minute. Don’t be so dramatic.”  
  
Hongjoong pouted.“I’m not being dramatic,” he said. “Anyway, that’s not all. I can’t explain it, but I… I felt like I’ve seen him before. Like I know him from somewhere.”  
  
Yeosang snorted. “Now you really are hallucinating. Hongjoong you’ve never been to this town before, there’s no way you could have met him.”  
  
“Maybe…” Hongjoong admitted. “I just felt like there was… a connection. Is that crazy?”  


“Yes,” Yeosang deadpanned, then relented at the captain’s pleading look. “Maybe he reminds you of someone from your childhood. You might not remember, but your subconscious could still recognize the similar features making you feel like you know him. Its like déjà vu.” 

Hongjoong nodded, mind still stuck on the evident concern in the other man’s voice. Something about him seemed so familiar… he couldn’t quite place it, but it tugged at the back corners of his mind, urging him to remember his past. 

Hongjoong’s memories of his life before coming onto the Black Swan were hazy at best. He could remember a few things clearly; the sound of his mother’s voice, living with his brother, the day of the execution, but the rest were tangled in a cloud of sorrow and confusion. Namjoon had said that his brain had probably repressed the memories because they were too painful to remember, which seemed to fit. What Hongjoong could remember of his life before seemed dangerous and desperate, like he had constantly been struggling to survive. It never really bothered him that he couldn’t remember; he figured maybe some things were better left forgotten. Still, if that man was someone from his past…

Hongjoong was pulled out of his thoughts as Yeosang laid a gentle hand on his arm. “Hyung,” he said. “Are you sure you’re okay?” 

Hongjoong nodded. If that man was someone from his past, it was probably better to leave him there. Hongjoong had enough problems in the present to focus on without adding more. He squeezed Yeosang’s hand gratefully.  
  
“I’m fine,” he said, voice steady. “Now, let’s go find San and Wooyoung before they drink the tavern’s entire stock.”

**…**

When Hongjoong finally found the troublesome pair, they had _not_ in fact finished the tavern’s entire stock, although they were likely not far from it. The two were considerably drunk, tripping over themselves to stay upright, giggling like children. 

Hongjoong and Yeosang exchanged looks, then sighed. It was a familiar situation: they would have to drag the two of them back to the ship. Yeosang looked at the pair with a disappointed expression, then darted a glance at Hongjoong as he called, “Dibs on Wooyoung!” 

Hongjoong cursed. San looked slender, but his body was corded with muscle and he turned into the most uncooperative deadweight when he was drunk. The captain sighed, then hoisted San carefully onto his back, grunting under the weight. His first mate giggled, looping his arms around Hongjoong’s neck, but remaining otherwise still.

He looked over at Yeosang, who was struggling to convince a spaced out Wooyoung to stand-up, and grinned to himself. Maybe he had gotten the better end of the deal after all.

The two of them eventually managed to get their drunk crew-mates out of the tavern and started the walk back to the ship, which suddenly seemed much longer than it had before. The journey was quiet for the most part, expect for the occasional nonsensical comment from Wooyoung or San. 

After the better part of an hour, he and Yeosang made their way onto the deck of the ship, and the navigator groaned as he dropped Wooyoung none to gently on the deck. The master rigger wobbled precariously, then dropped to his knees, seemingly fascinated with the wood grain pattern on the deck. Hopefully, Yeosang would persuade him to make his way down to the bunks before he fell asleep.

Hongjoong then turned to look at San, who must have dozed off sometime on the walk home, and was snoring softly against his back. The captain turned to Yeosang, who was star-fished out next to his friend on the deck, and whispered softly. “I’m going to put him in my cabin for now. I don’t want to climb down the stairs and wake everyone else.” 

Yeosang nodded, looking close to falling asleep himself. It was likely the pair of them would end up sleeping outside. Hongjoong smiled to himself, and adjusted his arms around San as he made his way to his cabin, through the righthand side door on the lower deck. He walked in and dropped the sleeping first mate onto the bunk, stretching out his back with a groan.

He looked at the slumbering San with a grin, watching as he turned over and smushed his face into the nearest pillow. The captain gently rearranged him so that he was laying on his side, placing a bucket on the floor in case he woke up in the middle of the night to throw up. (It wouldn’t be the first time…) Satisfied with the arrangement, Hongjoong grabbed an oil lamp and his books, deciding to spend the night reading on the deck. As he turned to leave the room, he heard a sleepy voice call, “Thank you, hyung.” 

Hongjoong smiled and closed the door, heading back out into the night. 

**…**

The next morning, Hongjoong rose with the sun and made his way down to the lighthouse at the break of dawn. He hoped he would find a message from the Black Swan, but he was forced to return to the ship empty-handed. He didn’t think much of it at the time; there could have been a number of mundane reasons he hadn’t heard from his mentor yet. In fact, odds were good that Namjoon’s crew would find him before he could find them. If his guess was right, Namjoon would have had someone observing the docks and once they realized that the Aurora had docked, he would send someone to their ship to set up a meeting.

It was only once several days had passed without sight or sound of the Black Swan that Hongjoong began to worry. It was unlike Namjoon to be late to a rendezvous, especially one that he had arranged.

Even if their crew was in hiding, Namjoon would still know that Hongjoong had arrived and it didn’t make sense that he hadn’t heard from them. A sinking feeling started in the pit of his stomach; he couldn’t help but fear that something had gone terribly wrong. 

Hongjoong couldn’t sleep that night; his mind was plagued with images of the worst possible scenario. The crew of Black Swan captured, tortured in a cell somewhere, or sent straight to the chopping block. The memories of his brother’s execution appeared every time he closed his eyes: the way Eden had looked with the noose around his neck, broken and defeated. Hongjoong couldn’t bear to see that happen to any of the members of Namjoon’s crew; they had been his family for almost ten years and losing one of them might break him. 

Hongjoong considered asking Yunho for a sleeping tonic; he took them occasionally when the nightmares were too frequent to avoid, but he didn’t want to be incapacitated in case something happened during the night. So he stayed on the deck, watching the stars, and praying that he would receive word of Black Swan’s whereabouts soon. 

**…**

On the seventh morning he returned from the lighthouse without a note, Hongjoong decided that it was time to take action. A week had passed since their crew had landed at Kader, and if the Black Swan had been in the area, he would have found them by now. Thus, something must have happened that caused Namjoon to leave town early, without informing Hongjoong. It was possible that the Black Swan had received a distress call from one of their allies. If Namjoon had been rushing to the aid of one of his fellow pirate crews, it would make sense that he hadn’t had the time to leave a note at the lighthouse. It was a reasonable explanation: during his time aboard the Black Swan, Hongjoong had seen the crew respond to quite a few distress calls, so it was not out of the realm of possibility that something similar had happened here as well. Still, something didn’t feel right to Hongjoong. His instincts had been driving him crazy the moment he set foot in this town, telling him that something was going to happen. He had waited too long, convincing himself that he was just being paranoid. Now, he was more sure than ever that he had been right. The clouds had been crackling with tension since that morning, the air charged with enough energy that even Hongjoong could feel it; there was a storm coming. 

He walked onto the deck of the Aurora with brisk footsteps, heading straight for the dining hall where he knew the crew would be gathered for breakfast. He dropped by his cabin first to grab some maps of the surrounding area as well as Namjoon’s initial note, looking up at the sky as he walked. Sure enough, cumulus clouds were gathering, grey and stormy on the horizon, causing the foreboding feeling in Hongjoong’s stomach to worsen with every step. He threw open the door to the galley, causing the entire crew to turn to him with startled expressions.

He grimaced; that was a bit more dramatic than he had intended, but he decided to roll with it, clearing his throat before speaking. “I think the Black Swan is in danger.”

The reaction was immediate. Most of the crew looked confused, but San, Yeosang and Mingi exchanged knowing glances; the three of them had seen Hongjoong return from the lighthouse empty-handed for a week now. They had counselled him to wait a little longer before panicking, but the time for waiting was over. Hongjoong walked over to their table and laid down the supplies he was holding. 

“As you all know,” he continued, “three weeks ago, I received a note from Namjoon telling us to sail immediately to Kader. Since then, I haven’t heard anything else from him. I’ve been checking the lighthouse for messages as well as ocean coves around the area, but I haven’t been able to sight their ship or any of the members. I think their crew is in danger; either they’re stranded or—or they’ve been captured.”

The silence that followed his words was fraught with tension; the younger members of the crew were wide-eyed with disbelief. To them, Black Swan would be more of a legend then a reality. Even those with little experience on the seas would have heard the tales of the infamous pirate crew that once fought off a mariner armada and lived to tell the tale. The idea that such a crew could be in danger…

Finally, Eric, their youngest member and resident powder monkey, spoke up. “Captain… How do you know they’re in danger? What if they’re just…busy or something?”  


“That’s what I thought at first,” Hongjoong admitted. “But it’s been a week. I know that Namjoon would have gotten in touch with me by now, especially since he planned to meet us here.” 

San frowned, looking deep in thought. “Eric has a point though, Hongjoong-hyung. I agree that Namjoon should have contacted us by now, but that’s not enough to be sure that the Black Swan is in danger. Have you tried sending them a messenger bird?” 

Hongjoong shook his head, but before he could say anything, Yeosang stood up. “I actually sent them one a few days ago,” he admitted, with a quick glance at Hongjoong. “I know you were worried about Namjoon, but I didn’t tell you, because I wanted to wait until I heard back from them.”  
  
“That was a good idea,” he said. “Have you heard back from them yet?” 

“Yes,” Yeosang said, reluctantly, pulling out a letter from the pocket of his coat. “Just this morning. I was going to tell you after breakfast, but…I guess now is a good a time as any.”

Yeosang handed the letter to Hongjoong, who took it with eager hands. He examined the front with a confused frown. “This is…it just says return to sender. Is this the original letter you sent out? It bounced back?”  


Yeosang nodded, looking grim. Hongjoong felt ice cold dread run through his veins as San grabbed the letter from his hands. He looked at the address label and cursed under his breath. 

Eric looked at them with a perplexed expression. “Am I the only one that doesn’t understand? Why is this such a bad thing?”  
  
Surprisingly, it was Q, Aurora’s lookout, who explained. “Messenger birds can find anyone, anywhere on the planet, which is what makes them such a reliable communication system.There’s only one reason a letter would go undelivered: if the recipient…” Here, he trailed off, with an uneasy glance at his captain.

“What?”Eric questioned, looking between the two of them. “If the recipient what?”

“If the recipient is dead,” Hongjoong answered him, feeling disconnected from his body. 

“Don’t jump to conclusions, hyung. We don’t know anything for sure, right now,” San commanded, jumping up to guide Hongjoong to his seat. The captain sank down on the bench, feeling like his legs had been cut out from underneath him. _Namjoon, the Black Swan, his family… could they really be…_

“Actually,” Q interrupted, “that’s not what I was going to say. There’s another reason a letter might be sent back…” he hesitated, looking unsure of his next words. “If the intended recipient can’t be found, if they’re hiding somewhere off the communication grid, the letter would bounce back as well.”

Hongjoong snapped his head up, staring at the pink haired lookout. Yeosang frowned. “I thought there wasn’t a single place off the grid. That’s what the authorities tell us, anyway.”  
  
Q shrugged,“That’s what most people think, but there’s no such thing as a perfect system. There are actually quite a few remote places that aren’t connected to the grid or recorded on any maps. For all intents and purposes, its like those places don’t exist.”  
  
Hongjoong looked at him, trying to conceal the hope in his voice. “You think—its possible that the Black Swan is at one of these remote places? Somewhere off the grid?”

Q nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable with all the attention, but it was San who replied,“It makes more sense than anything else we’ve come up with. I mean, we can’t be sure, but it fits the evidence we have so far. Maybe Namjoon and his crew sailed to Kader on the trail of something, and stumbled into one of these communication dead-spots.”

Eric frowned, turning to the lookout. “How do you know all this Q-hyung?”

The pink-haired boy flushed, fidgeting slightly. “When I was—before I joined the Aurora,” he started, “I used to work for the—an agency, of sorts. We got sent out on missions, places that people don’t normally explore. A few of them were off the grid, places so remote the communication system couldn’t find us.” 

Eric’s eyes widened, “You were a spy?!”

Q shook his head quickly, looking a little panicked, as he curled in on himself. Younghoon, one of the ship’s cooks, draped his arm over the pink-haired boy comfortingly. Hongjoong decided it was time to change the subject, and cleared his throat, drawing the attention back to himself. 

“What Q said makes sense,” he admitted, “but it also means that Black Swan really could be in danger. These remote spots, there’s magic right? The natural enchantments in the atmosphere around these areas must tamper with the navigation system.”

Q nodded, head bent so that his hair covered his eyes when he spoke. “A lot of these places… the magic is so potent, it feels like a dream when you enter the area. Its similar to hypnosis, I think. Even people who train their entire lives to explore those places can get caught in the spells if they’re not careful. If the Black Swan has stumbled into one of these areas by accident…they might not be able to leave.” 

Yeosang, who had been looking over the maps that Hongjoong had brought with him, looked up then. “Even if you’re right,” he started, “which I think you might be, how do we find out where they are? The kinds of places you’re talking about are off the grid for a reason.” 

Hongjoong furrowed his brows, considering Yeosang’s words. “Do you remember the location of any of these places?” he asked the lookout, careful to keep his voice gentle. 

The pink hair boy nodded, as he stood from the table and walked over to where Yeosang was examining the maps. “I can mark the locations of all the places I remember,” he said, scanning the papers in front of him. “But there’s quite a few, and you’d have no way of knowing which one Black Swan is at.”  


San, who had been examining the letters with a frown, spoke up. “Based on their letter, I’m almost sure that Black Swan was here at one point. If we assume that their starting point was this sea port, the list of their possible locations becomes smaller, doesn’t it? We only have to search areas within a two-week sailing radius of this area.”  


Yeosang nodded, as if he was warming up to the idea. “If the crew docked here at some point, some of the members probably went into town to stock up on supplies. If we ask around, we might be able to find out some information about which direction they were planning to travel. That could help us narrow the list down further.”  


Hongjoong stood up then, and turned to the crew. “It’s decided then. Yunho, Eric, and Chanhee, I want you three to head to the markets to see if you can find any new information. Stock up on supplies while you’re there, anything we’d need for a long voyage. Stay together and be careful.”

He looked at his own table, gaze finding Jongho and Wooyoung. “I want you two to accompany them into town, then head to the tavern. Ask around, see if anyone has heard any rumours of pirates in the area, but be discreet and remember not to reveal your identities.” 

“Yeosang, I want you and Q to go over the maps, mark down locations where the Black Swan might be stranded. Head to my cabin, use all the maps and charts we have.” 

He walked to the door, and turned to look at his crew, determination burning in his gaze. “Mingi and San, come up with me to the main deck. We need to talk about what we’re going to do next. Everyone else, prepare the ship for departure. We leave at first light.” 


	4. Wonderland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they entered the bookshop, a bell above the door made a cheerful sound to announce their entrance. The store appeared empty but Hongjoong could hear rattling noises coming from a door behind the counter, and moments later a pleasant voice called, “Welcome to Wonderland, where all wonders of the world can be found.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.” ~ William Shakespeare

Hongjoong strode out of the galley, his first mate and quartermaster following close behind. Hongjoong was friends with the entire crew, but he had known Mingi and San the longest, and trusted them to tell him when he was out of line. When it felt like the entire world was adrift, it was the two of them he turned to for stability. Hongjoong needed their advice now more than ever, to reassure him he wasn’t making the wrong choice, rushing off without a plan and endangering the lives of his crew. 

“Captain,” Mingi called, stopping Hongjoong in his steps. “San found something interesting. I think you should see this.” He looked over his shoulder for a second, gaze landing on Yeosang and Q who were just making their way out the galley. “Yeosang,” the quartermaster called, “you and Q should see this too.”  
  
Hongjoong peered at San curiously, but his first mate shook his head and said, “Not here,” with a quick glance at the rest of their crew mates streaming out onto the deck. Hongjoong nodded, interest piqued, and gestured for the group to follow him back to his cabin. Once everyone was inside, he turned to San with a curious expression on his face. 

“What did you find?” he questioned.

San dropped the bundle of parchment he was carrying on Hongjoong’s desk, then held out a paper for the room to see. “Earlier, I was going through Namjoon’s letter, trying to see if there was anything we missed the first time we read it, when I noticed it. If you take the first character of each sentence—”

“It’s a code,” Q exclaimed, before he could finish, brows raised in surprise.“We… have… found—” he stopped, looking up with wide-eyes. “Is this…are you sure this is real?”

San shrugged, “As far as I can tell, this is Namjoon’s handwriting and he isn’t the type to joke about something like this. Still, it can’t be real… I mean, what are the odds?”  


Hongjoong and Mingi exchanged confused glances. “What are you two talking about? What’s the code?”  


Yeosang, who had been quietly examining the letter, made a sound of surprise, then flushed when everyone in the room turned to look at him.  
  
“It’s a cipher system,” he explained quietly. “They used it in the old days of the Navy, to transmit coded messages across telegraph lines that were thought to have been tapped. It fell out of practise a while back; I’m surprised Namjoon knows it.” 

Mingi leaned closer to the note, looking interested. “How does it work?” 

Yeosang gestured to the first character, as he said, “If you take the first character of each sentence, then read that phrase backwards, it should reveal a message.”  
  
Hongjoong whistled, “That’s complicated,” he said, looking impressed. “How did you figure it out, San?” 

His first mate shrugged, cheeks turning pink at the praise. “I think I stared at the letter for so long it scrambled my brain, and all of a sudden the code seemed to pop out at me.”  
  
Mingi huffed with amusement. “That does sound like you,” he agreed, with a good-natured smirk.

San growled, but before he could retaliate, Hongjoong interrupted, “The code… am I reading this wrong, or does this say what I think it says?”  
  
Yeosang nodded, tracing the writing on the letter with his fingertip. “You’re reading it right. It says, ‘We have found Utopia.’” 

A tense silence followed Yeosang’s words, as all the crew members looked at each other with sheer incredulity. 

Mingi decided to bite the bullet, as he asked, “It’s not serious, right? I mean, there’s no way they’re talking about Utopia? The place from the legends?”

“That’s the one!” San said, voice filled with mock cheer. 

“That—it doesn’t exist!” Mingi, spluttered, looking all together thrown off balance. “It’s a made-up place, from the fairytales!”

Q shrugged, looking calmer than Hongjoong would have thought possible given the situation. “If anyone _could_ find a place that doesn’t exist, I would bet my money on Namjoon and his crew.”

Mingi stared at the pink-haired boy in amazement, “How are you so calm? Why aren’t you freaking out?”  
  
The lookout shrugged. “I’ve dealt with weirder,” he said, tone making it clear that he wouldn’t be inviting further questions. 

“Right,” Hongjoong said, deciding not to pursue the matter, though he noticed Yeosang glance at the pink-haired boy with concern. 

“Maybe it’s a metaphor,” Yeosang suggested, looking at Hongjoong, as if the captain could make this situation rational again. “In the literature, people used Utopia as another word for all kinds of treasure. Maybe that’s what he means?” 

Hongjoong shook his head, “No, that doesn’t make sense. Namjoon’s not the type to refer to something through a literary allusion. Although, he’s also not the type to leave coded messages, so…” 

“Let’s say it is real,” San started, gesturing for patience, as Yeosang started protesting. “I know, I know, its a fairytale, a legend. But what if it’s not? What if, on that million to one chance, it does exist? Could Black Swan really have found it?” 

It was a crazy idea. Certifiable. But it made Hongjoong hesitate. He thought back one of his last conversations with Namjoon before he left on the Aurora. Their crew had just docked at small port to stock up on supplies for Hongjoong’s newly acquired vessel, and the two pirates had decided to walk down to the ocean. The two of them had talked about mundane things, but when Hongjoong asked Namjoon what he was planning to do next, the pirate captain had looked at him with a mysterious smile. ‘I’m going to find the ultimate treasure,’ he had said. ‘Something no one has ever found before.’ At the time, Hongjoong hadn’t thought much of the statement, too worried over his own future to think about a single remark said in passing. 

Now, in the context of this message and the Black Swan’s mysterious disappearance, that simple proclamation seemed a lot more ominous. 

“If,” Hongjoong said slowly, “and this is a big if, the Black Swan did find… Utopia, would it be one of those off-grid places you mentioned?” 

“Hyung!” Yeosang cried, “Don’t tell me you believe this too?”

Hongjoong ignored him, looking at the pink-haired boy for an answer. 

Q nodded, still staring at the letter on the desk. “Probably,” he admitted. “Most of these places are coated in enchantments; there’s so much magic in the air, you can practically taste it A magical island paradise seems to fit that description.” He wrinkled his nose, as if he could still feel the magic lingering on his tongue.

“Captain,” Mingi interrupted.“This is crazy. You don’t really think Black Swan is at Utopia?” 

“I don’t know what to think,” Hongjoong admitted, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I know its crazy, but it’s a lead. The only one we’ve got so far.” 

“Not much of a lead,” Yeosang muttered, slouching down onto the floor. “We’d have no idea where to even start looking.”

Hongjoong gritted his teeth, pacing back and forth across the cabin. “There must be something,” he insisted. “A map, a book, a rumour, something!”

San nodded, looking determined. “If we had more information…"  


“Then we’d still be chasing a pipe dream!” Mingi burst out, stepping towards San. “We can’t waste our time looking for a fairytale!”

“We don’t need to,” Q said, interrupting before the situation could escalate. “We just need to follow Black Swan’s trail, look for them looking for Utopia.”  
  
“I don’t understand,” Hongjoong admitted.

“I think I do,” Yeosang spoke up, a new glint in his eyes. “Instead of looking for Utopia ourselves, if we follow the path Black Swan took, it would be like following a bread crumb trail.”

Mingi frowned, though he seemed to be considering the idea more seriously. “We don’t know what path they took. That’s the problem.”  


Yeosang stood up, turning to rummage through the maps on Hongjoong’s desk with an impatient sigh. “Look, they must have stopped here in Kader for a reason right. If they were looking for Utopia, its probably because they thought they could find something here that would help them on their journey. A hint or a clue.”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened, as he caught onto what Yeosang was saying. “So if we find whatever they were looking for here, we’d know where to go next.”  


“Exactly.”  


“Where do we search though?” San questioned, brows furrowed in thought.

“They were probably looking for information,” Hongjoong said, thinking out loud as he paced. “Maybe a map, maybe a reference in a … a book,” he froze, and turned to Yeosang. “The local bookstore!” 

Yeosang’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe we didn’t think about it before! Namjoon must have heard about some information in the area, something that he could only find here. Let’s go!”

“Wait a second,” Hongjoong said. “Yeosang, you and Q should stay here and figure out which off-grid areas are close enough for Black Swan to have wandered into. In case the bookstore lead doesn’t pan out, we need to have a list of possible locations to start searching. I’ll go with Mingi and San to the book place, and we can meet up with Wooyoung and Jongho at the tavern when we’re done.” 

Yeosang sighed, “You have a point. Alright, come on Q, let’s figure this out.”

Hongjoong straightened up, and gestured for Mingi and San to follow him out of the room. The trio headed across the deck and down the rope ladder hanging over the side of the boat.  Hongjoong led them out of the docks and down the streets, trying to recall if he had passed a bookstore during his initial explorations of the town. However, after thirty minutes of fruitless searching, the trio had yet to find the store. Frustrated with their lack of progress, San decided to ask for directions at a nearby fruit stand, leaving Hongjoong and Mingi waiting by the street. 

The pair stood in silence for a few moments. Hongjoong glanced at Mingi, who was slouched against the wall, taking in the tense set of his shoulders and sighed. “You don’t think this is a good idea?” 

Mingi turned to look at him, startled. “What?”

“This plan. You don’t think I should go looking for… you know,” he waved a hand at Mingi, who had begun to splutter. “It’s okay. I want you to be honest with me, remember?”  
  
“I’d follow you anywhere, Captain. You know that,” Mingi said, nothing but loyalty and warmth in his gaze.

Hongjoong smiled at that, “I never doubted it. But if you’re having second thoughts about the journey, you should tell me now. I can’t lead a crew that isn’t one hundred percent committed.” 

Mingi sighed, and a raked a hand through his locks, mussing his hair up even further. “Its not that I don’t trust you. I just…. Utopia? How could it possibly be real?”

“There are some pretty strange things out there, Mingi. You’ve seen a few of them,” Hongjoong reminded him. 

“I know,” the quartermaster admitted. “It just feels like this is one step too far, though.” Then he paused, and turned to look Hongjoong in the eyes. “But it doesn’t matter. What I personally believe isn’t what’s at stake here; we’re doing this because it’s the best chance we have to find Namjoon and his crew and help them if they’re in danger. I know that. So if that means looking for an imaginary island… then that’s what we’re going to do.”  
  
Hongjoong grinned, clapping a hand on Mingi’s shoulder. “That’s the spirit.” 

“Besides,” Mingi said, leaning back against the wall with a grin, “if we really do find Utopia, we’d be set for life!” 

Hongjoong laughed, suddenly thankful for the turns of fate that had led him to meeting his crew and feeling impossibly grateful for this odd collection of people that had become a part of his life.

**…**

A few minutes later, San came back from the fruit stand with directions to the bookstore and a handful of peaches that the owner had given him for free, since he was ‘such a charming boy,’ San told them with a smirk. 

_Yeah right,_ Hongjoong thought with a snort. It never failed to impress him how San could charm each person he met; it was a skill that had gotten him out of several sticky situations. 

The three of them followed the fruit stand lady’s directions, munching on the free peaches as they walked. The small store was located on the outskirts of town, down a narrow set of twisted alleyways. It looked old and a little worn-down, but well-kept. When the trio arrived at the entrance, Mingi insisted on waiting outside, claiming that bookstores and libraries made him nervous. San laughed, “Scared? You know that the books aren’t going to eat you, right?” 

Mingi huffed, but doesn’t otherwise reply, opting to flip them both a rather rude gesture before walking off to skulk around the nearby streets. Hongjoong sighed, “Do you have to rile him up like that? He’ll be in a mood for the rest of the day now,” but San merely grinned, unrepentant as always. 

Shaking his head, Hongjoong reached to open the door, gesturing for San to walk in before him. As they entered the bookshop, a bell above the door made a cheerful sound to announce their entrance. The store appeared empty but Hongjoong could hear rattling noises coming from a door behind the counter, and moments later a pleasant voice called, “Welcome to Wonderland, where all wonders of the world can be found. I’ll be with you in a minute.” 

San immediately moved to the back of the store, eager to explore the various books and parchments lining the shelves. Hongjoong shook his head; there was no point telling San not to charge headfirst into a situation, it would be about as useful as telling a brick wall to be less stubborn. 

His own footsteps were slower, more cautious as he walked deeper into the shop, taking in his surroundings with a careful eye; assessing a new environment for potential threats had become muscle memory to him at this point. The interior of the bookshop was small, but well organized and tidy. A little more than half the space was taken up with dark wooden shelves housing rows upon rows of books, some leather bound and ancient, and some more modern paperbacks.The walls were covered with a cheerful floral wallpaper, and at the front of the store there was a counter with odd knick-knacks displayed on its surface. 

From behind the counter, a figure, not much older than Hongjoong himself, emerged through a doorway with a stack of books in his hands. As he turned to place the books on the counter, Hongjoong saw the boy’s features for the first time and drew in a sharp breath. 

A shock of black hair, swept in a messy wave over his forehead that accentuated his straight nose, strong jawline and startling grey eyes. He was wearing a simple white linen shirt with brown trousers but made the look appear glamorous enough to feature in a city magazine. It was the boy Hongjoong had run into on his first night in town, the one who had looked as though he ought to be living in a palace as opposed to a small port city in the middle of nowhere. However, it wasn’t his appearance that gave Hongjoong pause this time (though the fact that the boy really was alarmingly good-looking had registered in some part of his brain). It was the sense of familiarity he thought he had noticed before, something that had become much more apparent in the well-lit quarters of the bookstore, and Hongjoong could _feel_ an old memory tugging at the corner of his mind. 

Meanwhile, the boy placed the books down on the counter and looked up at him, starting to apologize for the delay when he made eye contact with Hongjoong and froze, mouth parting in surprise. Hongjoong’s brain nearly short circuited: did the boy recognize him as well? However any thoughts he had about where he might have known this boy from were now lost in that endless gaze, those storm grey eyes seeming to peer into Hongjoong’s very soul. The air in the shop turned thick with tension, as neither man wanted to be the first to look away. San, curious at the unusual quiet in the store, poked his head around a bookshelf, and cried loudly, “Hello!” 

Hongjoong blinked, San’s exclamation bringing back his awareness of their surroundings. The boy also startled at the sudden noise, flinching back from the counter and unfortunately knocking into the shelves behind him. He cursed, and grabbed at his head as San stifled a laugh. “Sorry,” San apologized quickly, “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” 

The boy shook his head slightly, but before he could reply, another voice, this one female, echoed from the back room, “Seonghwa? Is everything okay?” 

_Seonghwa._ That must be the boy’s name. It suited him, Hongjoong mused, watching as he ran an agitated hand through his hair and checked to see that nothing on the shelves has been broken. Just then, the owner of the voice also emerged from the back room and immediately turned her attention to the boy behind the counter, apparently sensing the source of the noise. Hongjoong observed her silently, taking in her delicate features, hazel coloured eyes and wavy auburn hair, a shade surprisingly similar to his own. Her height was average, a little on the shorter side, but she looked almost comically small as she moved to stand next to Seonghwa, who Hongjoong realized with a start, was rather tall. ‘Almost as tall as Yunho or Mingi,’ he thought absently, then mentally shook himself to keep his focus on the situation at hand. 

“Honestly, Seonghwa” she chided gently, “don’t you have enough sense to watch where you’re going? There are fragile items here, Hwa, fragile. I thought you’d learned your lesson after the incident with the crystal vase.” 

Seonghwa ducked his head in apology, but San, who had returned to the front of the shop near Hongjoong, spoke up before the boy could say anything. “I think it was my fault actually. I didn’t mean to scare him, but I’ve been told I’m quite… shocking.” San accompanied his words with a crooked grin, a smile that had beguiled many people into falling for him, allowing them to look past the odd blue-green streaks in his otherwise black hair and his habit of carrying at least one knife on his person at all times.

Fortunately, or unfortunately for San, the girl behind the counter did not look impressed. She levelled San with an even look as she asked, “And you might be?” 

“He’s San. And I’m Hongjoong. We’re here for some information,” he said quickly before San could attempt, and possibly fail, to charm the employees of the bookstore. 

A single delicate eyebrow rose on the girl’s forehead, the gesture unnervingly familiar to Hongjoong for some reason. “Is that so?” she questioned, crossing her arms in front of her. “What kind of information are you looking for?” 

“Are you not even going to tell us your name?” San interrupted, with an expression on his face that spelled mischief. “A lady as beautiful as yourself must have an equally lovely name, I’m sure.” 

The girl’s other eyebrow rose to join the first, and her mouth twisted in amusement. “It’s Yena” she replied, after a slight pause, then inclined her head towards the dark haired boy. “And as you likely heard, he’s Seonghwa. I run the shop, and he helps out when he’s not too busy being clumsy,” she said, the tease gentled by the fond expression in her eyes as she looked at him. 

Hongjoong’s stomach clenched, just a little, to see their closeness. Of course, a boy that beautiful would have someone already.  _Focus, Hongjoong_ , he chided himself. _You’re here to work, not pine over pretty boys who could break your heart_.

“Now,” she continued, “since everyone’s been introduced, would mind telling us what business you have here?” 

“In a hurry to have us leave?” San quipped, “Can’t imagine why.” 

“We’re looking for any information you might have on ancient legends, fables and myths about a great treasure.” Hongjoong said, not willing to test the shopkeeper’s patience.

Yena tilted her head consideringly, “That’s rather vague. We have many books on treasure, an entire shelf in fact. Could you be a bit more specific?” 

Hongjoong hesitated. When rumours and stories about Utopia started spreading, the allure of the fabled promise land had been great enough to make some people spend their entire lives in search of it. Sailors and pirates alike had wasted fortunes looking for the magical island, but none of them ever succeeded and most remained lost at sea. Rumours began to spread that once someone set out looking for the treasure, they were destined to never return. The tale of Utopia became a cursed myth, one that was thought to bring only misfortune to those who dared seek it. 

Even in recent years, as people began to question the old stories about curses and prophecies, Utopia remained something of a taboo, a last resort for the truly desperate. Hongjoong didn’t want the employees to dismiss their story out of hand simply because of the connotations most people associated with this particular treasure. 

San seemed to be following his thought process, because his answer was carefully designed to avoid mentioning the treasure by name. “Any stories about lost islands with lots of treasure and wealth; places that people would find as a reward for good behaviour.”

Seonghwa startled, speaking for the first time, “You’re talking about Utopia.” His voice was as warm and melodic as the captain remembered, unwavering in its confidence. It _did things_ to Hongjoong’s poor gay heart, but it also nudged at the corner of his mind again, a niggling sense of déjà vu he hadn’t been able to shake since he first laid eyes on the raven haired boy. 

San lifted his palms in a shrug, his voice deceptively casual. “Maybe… If we were, would you consider us crazy?” 

Seonghwa shook his head, even as Yena scoffed. “Utopia? Like the nursery rhyme?” 

San looked at her in confusion, “Nursery rhyme?” Across from Hongjoong, Seonghwa’s eyebrows furrowed, his expression revealing that he didn’t know what she was talking about either. Yena smiled, just a little, before she started lilting in a sing-song voice:

_ “To those who are kind and pure of heart, _

_ Follow the map written by stars _

_ Trust the lost compass and it will lead _

_To Utopia: the treasure that you seek_ ”

She paused, her eyes clouded with old memories, “My parents used to sing it to me. There’s a few more verses, but this is the only one I remember.”A flash of sorrow appeared on her face, but it was gone almost as soon as he noticed it. Seonghwa seemed to have noticed it too, because he laid a gentle hand on her back, which snapped her out of her daze.

“Anyway, its one of the first recorded mentions of Utopia, but not many people know the song anymore. I think we probably have some books that mention Utopia, but honestly I’m not sure if they’ll tell you anything you don’t already know.”

Hongjoong nodded, having feared as much. There was a reason that everyone who went out searching for Utopia came back with nothing to show for it. The stories were ridiculously vague, not mentioning directions or even an approximate location. The details varied with each retelling as well. As Hongjoong recalled, in order to reach the island, one would need to find the map of stars and the lost compass. However, he had no idea where one might find either of these tools, leading him back to square one. In the end, people who went looking for the magical island paradise did so with nothing more than their own intuition.

San lifted a hand in the air, as if he were waiting to be called on in class. “What about the compass you mentioned? Do you have any information about that?”

The auburn-haired girl, shook her head, looking apologetic. “I don’t think so; although Seonghwa’s more the expert on fables and folklore than me.”

She turned to her assistant, and the black-haired man furrowed his brows in thought. “I’m not sure…” he admitted.  
  
San shrugged. “That’s fine; I just asked because I’ve never heard a compass mentioned in the stories before.”  
  
“Really?” Yena asked, looking surprised.  


“I have,” Hongjoong interjected. “It’s the lost compass, the same compass that the first person to find Utopia used. It was supposedly given to him by his lover, and it could show him the way to a safe haven, a place for them to be together.”

“Right,” Seonghwa agreed. “He used the compass to find the island.”

“I thought that’s what the map was for?” San questioned, looking a little confused.

“No, the map is more like a set of instructions,” Yena clarified. “It wouldn’t be useful without the compass telling you which direction to travel.”

“Huh,” San mused. “I’ve never heard that version of the story before.”

“I hadn’t either,” Seonghwa confided, resting his elbows on the counter and leaning his head against his hands. “I only heard about it from Yena-noona.” 

“That’s odd. I thought everyone knew about it,” Hongjoong said, a little distracted by the way the raven-haired boy’s eyes flickered in the light. “Either way, there’s no information on where one might go looking for the compass?”

“I… There are some people who say that the compass isn’t really a compass,” Seonghwa said, voice hesitant.

“Well, that’s helpful,” San said mockingly.

“No, I mean, there are speculations that it isn’t one particular compass,” Seonghwa said, disappearing from view as he crouched down to grab something from behind the counter. He stood back up, holding an ancient looking tome in his hands that he laid on the counter. 

“It’s in… this book,” he said, flipping the pages till he arrived at a vivid painting of a black-haired girl kneeling at an altar. “Here, see this picture? This is the hero’s lover, visiting the temple of the gods to ask for a favour.” 

Everyone in the store listened, rapt as Seonghwa narrated the tale. “The story goes that this maiden’s lover was a young man who had been sentenced to execution for treason against the crown, but the maiden never believed that he could be guilty. She pleaded his innocence to the king and court, but no one believed her. The young man had been taken away and was set to be executed in five days time. As a final attempt, his lover made a pilgrimage to the most sacred temple, to beg the heavens for mercy. She sat at their altar for three days and three nights, without food or water, praying for a way to help save her lover. The gods were so moved by the strength of her devotion, they agreed to help the young couple. The gods freed the young man from his jail cell, provided him with a ship and blessed his compass to show him the way to safe harbour, somewhere he could live with his lover in peace.” 

Silence filled the shop, and Hongjoong stared at the raven-haired boy in wonder. He had never heard this story before, but he rather liked the idea that the heavens could be so merciful. In his experience, the universe was rarely so kind. 

“So, theoretically, any compass could be the lost compass if we get the gods to bless it?” San asked, breaking this silence as he tilted his head in consideration.  
  
“Theoretically, yes,” Seonghwa agreed. “But it’s all conjecture. People don’t really believe in that stuff anymore." 

“Do you?” Hongjoong blurted out, suddenly curious to hear the raven-haired boy’s answer.  


“What?” he said, looking caught off-guard, blinking up at Hongjoong with startled eyes.  
  
“Do you believe? That the gods could be so moved by a mortal’s love, they would reward them with eternal happiness?” Hongjoong pressed, unsure why he was so desperate to hear Seonghwa’s answer to this question.  
  
“I… I’m not sure,” the raven-haired boy answered finally, tearing his gaze away from the pirate captain’s.

“Right,” Hongjoong said, a little disappointed for some absurd reason. He saw Yena glance between the two of them curiously, but kept his gaze fixed resolutely on the counter.

“Anyway…” San spoke up, with a glance at Hongjoong that meant he was going to be having a _conversation_ with him later “We have one more question, if that’s alright?"

“Of course,” Seonghwa answered politely, seeming to have gained his composure back. 

“Has anyone else recently come in to ask you about all this stuff? Utopia, the compass or lost treasures in general?”

The shopkeepers paused, looking slightly taken off-guard at the sudden change in topic. 

Hongjoong pressed on, “It would have been around two or three weeks ago. A man in his late twenties, with light brown hair who goes by the name Namjoon.” 

San continued, “He might have been accompanied by a shorter, dark haired man with extremely pale skin and a resting bitch face, kind of like a grumpy cat?” 

Neither of the shopkeepers looked as though they remembered seeing anyone with these descriptions, and the small part of Hongjoong that had started to hope, turned cold.

“Please,” Hongjoong was aware of the sudden desperation in his own voice, but he continued, because he needed a hint, a clue, something, anything that would show him where to go next. “I got a message from him three weeks ago to come here, to this town, but nobody was here when we arrived and I haven’t heard anything from him or his friends since. They’re family to me, and I need to know where they’ve gone because they might be in danger.” 

He stopped, wanting to continue, but aware that revealing too much of himself to strangers wasn’t a good idea either. As he lifted his gaze from where it had been locked on the floor, he was taken aback by the sheer intensity of emotion he saw in Seonghwa’s eyes. The raven haired man radiated sympathy and sincerity, his grey eyes broadcasting his desire to help even as his expression and posture remained passive. 

Yena nodded slowly, her defensive posture softening ever so slightly as she said, “I’m sorry, I don’t recall seeing anyone who matches those descriptions, in the shop or in town. But perhaps if you had a picture…?”

San stepped forward, pulling a parchment out of his pocket. “Will a sketch do?” 

“Sure,” the auburn haired girl acquiesced, and reached for the drawing in his hand. She took the paper from San and started to unfold it, when suddenly, she froze. Her whole body tensed and the paper she was holding fell to the ground. 

Hongjoong frowned, but before he could ask if something was wrong, Yena had grabbed San’s wrist in one hand and pushed the sleeve of his jacket up with the other. Hongjoong tensed, knowing what mark Yena had seen and understanding what it meant, but unable to will his body into action. He watched, frozen, as she stared down at the pirate’s brand on San’s pale skin and cursed softly under his breath.

Quietly, Hongjoong reached one hand down to the dagger on his belt, but lifted the other slowly into the air, hoping to convey an aura of peace. For his part, San remained still and quiet, but the tension in his shoulders revealed his unease. He looked at Hongjoong, taking cues from him on how to handle their situation.

Yena lifted her eyes to look at Hongjoong’s and her eyes were brimming with barely concealed anger. She dropped San’s wrist as if she’d been burned and glared at him until he backed away from the counter. “You’re pirates?” she spat, but Hongjoong could tell it wasn’t really a question. 

He decided to answer anyway. “Yes,” he said, hoping against all hope that if he remained calm and honest, he could persuade them not to call the authorities. Next to her, Seonghwa sucked in a quiet breath, and leaned down to whisper something into Yena’s ear. Hongjoong only caught bits and pieces but it sounded like, “Noona, calm down… this isn’t the same as …not every pirate is like that.” Hongjoong’s heart ached a little to hear Seonghwa speaking in their defence, and it made him loosen his grip on his dagger. Hopefully, he wouldn’t need it. 

“And the people you’re looking for? They’re pirates too?” Yena’s voice, while angry was nowhere near loud enough to draw unnecessary attention to the shop, which reinforced his belief that there was still a chance for the situation to be resolved peacefully. 

Hongjoong made a conscious effort to unclench his jaw and relax his stance, so that he could show them that he and San were no threat. While they may live outside the law, the crew members of Aurora did not make a habit of involving civilians in their combat, and should an accident occur, the offending member was rightfully punished. He lifted both hands in the air, palms forward and reminded himself to keep his voice soft.

“Yes,” he replied. “They’re members of a crew called the Black Swan, and I received a message to meet them here. That was three weeks ago, and I haven’t heard from them since. I wasn’t lying to you about any of that. I think that they might have come to this store looking for information about Utopia. We’re trying to figure out where they went, follow their trail, so I was hoping that you might have seen them.”  


“We haven’t.” Yena spat, “So get out.” Seonghwa leaned forward again and placed his hand on her elbow, pulling her away from the counter and murmuring something else into her ear. Whatever he said, it wasn’t enough to abate the anger Hongjoong could see in every line of her body. She shook him off and continued glaring at the two pirates in her shop.

Hongjoong shifted, considering his options for a moment. The safe thing to do, the smart thing, would be to retreat now while they still had a chance. However, the fact remained that this was their only lead and they hadn’t found any useful information yet. 

He took a breath, and decided to try one more time. “I promise, we don’t want any trouble. I just want to find my friends, my family, make sure they’re okay. Any information you have, if know someone who might have seen them, anything at all, would be helpful.”

Yena’s hands tightened against the edge of the counter, her knuckles white in contrast to the dark wooden surface. “Go, now, and I won’t call the authorities. We don’t deal with your kind,” she gritted out through clenched teeth, making a visible effort to restrain herself from anger. Hongjoong was almost impressed.

“Our kind?” San’s voice was a barely contained snarl, and Hongjoong darted a look at him, a silent warning to watch his tongue. 

“Thieves and outlaws,” she snapped, “murderers!”

“Noona!” Seonghwa’s cry of outrage went unheard as San stepped forward with a shout. 

“Like you’re any better, Royal Navy scum!” The words had barely left San’s mouth when all the lights in the store flickered then burned out, as if hit by an unnatural energy surge. The shop was left in sudden darkness and for a heartbeat, no one moved.

Then, Seonghwa muttered, as if to himself, “I didn’t…I didn’t mean to.” There was a sudden light filling the shop, and Hongjoong had to stop himself from gasping when he saw that it was coming from a small flame flickering above Seonghwa’s palm.

‘A mage,’ Hongjoong thought. ‘Of course.’ The energy surge must have been caused by Seonghwa’s emotions making him temporarily lose control.

San’s hand tensed on his dagger hilt, but before he could draw it the door burst open. Mingi rushed in, knife drawn and eyes narrowed, looking for the threat. He must have seen the lights go dark and assumed the worst. His gaze locked on Seonghwa, whose palm was still flickering with fire, and drew his arm back, blade aimed at the target.

“No!” Hongjoong shouted, turning towards the door, but he was too late to stop the dagger that had already left Mingi’s hand. Before he could do something stupid, like jump in front of Seonghwa, a gust of air blasted through the shop pushing the dagger off course and embedding it into a nearby shelf.

Hongjoong winced at the close call, wondering rather hysterically if Seonghwa would be upset with the stab marks on his beautiful antique furniture, before deciding that Seonghwa would probably have been more upset if the dagger had stabbed him instead.

Then he frowned, because the shop was still lit, meaning Seonghwa had somehow controlled both his fire and the wind. He hadn’t heard of multiple element manipulation but he supposed it was possible. However, when he turned to look at the front counter, it wasn’t Seonghwa, but Yena who had her hands outstretched in Mingi’s direction. 

Hongjoong’s eyes widened in disbelief for the second time that evening. Meeting a mage was a rare enough occurrence, but meeting two at the same time was almost unheard of. The air in the bookstore was tense, a stand off between the pirates and the mages. Every eye in the shop was turned to Yena in silence, the room quiet enough to hear a pin drop. 

“I think,” the auburn haired girl said, her narrowed eyes and quiet voice promising danger,“that you have overstayed your welcome.” 


	5. An Unexpected Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa stepped out onto the streets, taking in the twilight hour and the sounds of the crowded plaza up ahead. 'This is crazy,' he thought to himself. 'Certifiable. He probably wouldn’t find them, and even if he did, they wouldn’t believe him. If he had any sense, he would turn around right now and walk back into the shop.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness.” ~ Katherine Henson

The silence that echoed in the shop once the pirates had left was all-consuming. Seonghwa and Yena remained still behind the counter, frozen in shock. After a few moments of quiet, Seonghwa sighed and extinguished the flame in his hands. The store was plunged into darkness, but Seonghwa had worked here so long he could move through the shop with his eyes closed. He grabbed some matchsticks from underneath the counter and made his way around the edges of the store, lighting the sconces hanging on the walls.

_We_ _should consider investing in some electrical lights_ , he mused, then shook his head at his own thoughts. Seonghwa was sure he had other things to worry about right now than the lighting fixtures in the store. He lit the last lamp, then turned back to the counter. Yena still hadn’t moved, frozen where she stood with her knuckles clenched tightly against the edge of the wood.

Seonghwa sighed and walked into the back room to brew a cup of tea for Yena. He knew better than most how difficult it was for her. Although he wasn’t aware of the specifics, a few years ago

Yena had sat him down and told him the broad strokes of her childhood trauma. She had been only ten years old when pirates had attacked her town; as a young mage, Yena had been kidnapped and sold to a government lab for gold. The pirates that had sold her to the lab had also killed the rest of her family; her parents and her younger brother, who had been just four years old at that time. 

Unfortunately, Yena was just one of several child mages that had been kidnapped off the streets and brought to the lab to run experiments on. It was the harrowing reality of life for those with the gift and it was the reason each of them took their secret to the grave.

When Seonghwa had realized that the orange-haired man and his friend were pirates, a small part of him couldn’t help but fear the worst. He hated to be so cynical, but experience had taught him that some people could more cruel than imaginable. Still, his instincts told him that wasn’t the case here. Seonghwa wasn’t sure why, but something about the orange-haired individual struck a chord within him.

_Hongjoong_ , he thought to himself, repeating the boy’s name in his mind. _It suited him._ Seonghwa wondered if it was fate that had led the pirates to his bookshop. Even in a small town like Kader, it was hard to meet the same stranger more than once and this was the second time he had seen the orange-haired boy. First, he’d run into him on the street and then a week later, the pirate captain had walked into his bookshop. It felt like too much of a coincidence to ignore: perhaps the universe was trying to tell him something. 

_It’s not because he’s attractive,_ Seonghwa insisted to himself. _That’s not why I trust him; there’s something else there, I can feel it._

Deep down, a small part of him was reminded of another orange-haired boy he hadn’t been able to help, a boy he had met only once before almost ten years ago. He thought of the promise he had made then, a promise he hadn’t been able to keep.

_That’s all in the past,_ he reminded himself. _Focus on the present._

Shaking off the memories, he walked over to where Yena was standing, and led her gently into the back room, helping her onto the couch. “Here,” he said, handing her a cup of tea. She took the mug from him with careful hands and inhaled the steam, before sipping it lightly. As the heat and soothing camomile began to enter her system, Seonghwa could see her shoulders relax and the light return to her eyes. 

He breathed a sigh of relief; he always felt so helpless when her flashbacks struck, unable to do anything but watch as her mind tore her apart from the inside. When Seonghwa had met her, she had been confident and assured of her powers, everything a mentor should be. He could never have guessed what traumas her past contained. To be so brave after everything that had happened… it required more strength than most people had.

He sat down next to her on the couch, looping a careful arm over her shoulders. “How are you feeling?”

She sighed and leaned into his touch, resting her weight against his side.“Honestly? Like shit.”  


Seonghwa grimaced; that was expected but it still hurt to hear. Yena had been his rock for so long, he wanted desperately to be there for her in return. Before he could ask her if there was anything else he could do, she turned to him with a question of her own.

“What about you?” Yena inquired, scanning his face carefully. “You’re not hurt?”

He shook his head. “Thanks to you,” he admitted. “I should have stopped the dagger myself but I was—surprised.” 

Yena snorted, a sure sign that she was feeling more like herself again. “Of course you were. We haven’t seen any pirates since we moved here. It caught me off guard too; they seemed so _normal._ For a second, I almost believed their story about looking for their missing friends _._ ”

Seonghwa frowned. He didn’t want to argue, but he wasn’t able to stay quiet. “I think they were telling the truth,” he admitted cautiously.   
  
Yena’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “Don’t be so naive, Hwa. It was probably a scheme.”

He knew that odds were good that she was right, but some instinct in him couldn’t help but feel that the pirates had been honest. “Why?” he reasoned, “They didn’t know about us; why would they want to capture us? It doesn’t make sense. Plus, he seemed… honest. The orange-haired one.”

His mentor and friend looked at him with perceptive eyes. “You sure you’re not just crushing on him?” she asked.

“Noona!” he exclaimed, scandalized. Her words had been light-hearted and teasing but Seonghwa could hear a hint of genuine concern in her voice. “No,” he rushed to reassure her. “I… he just seemed familiar. Reminded me of someone I met before. I wish we could have helped them.”  


Yena smiled to herself; she had often remarked that Seonghwa was far too nice for his own good. “We’re better off not getting involved,” she said, though her voice was regretful. She knew that Seonghwa would feel responsible for even a stranger’s pain, but it was her job to remind him that he had to look out for himself too. “He’s dangerous; the whole lot of them are. Either way, we hadn’t seen the people they were looking for so we couldn’t have done anything to help.”

“I guess…” Seonghwa murmured finally, though he still looked a bit disappointed in himself. 

“Gods, I’m tired,” Yena said with a yawn, hoping to distract her kind-hearted apprentice from the evening’s events. “I thought running a bookshop was supposed to be easy.”  
  
As she expected, her proclamation cleared the wistfulness from Seonghwa’s expression. He stood from the couch with a determined look, though his voice was gentle when he said, “Why don’t you head upstairs and go to bed? I’ll close up the shop.” 

One of the reasons they had bought this shop was because of the convenience of having living quarters in the same building. It made up for the fact that the store was located on the outskirts of the town which sometimes made it difficult for people to find. It was especially helpful on nights like this; Seonghwa couldn’t imagine managing a long walk home after all the excitement of the evening.  
  
She smiled at him gratefully as she stood up as well, clutching her tea cup in her hands. Looks like her distraction had worked as planned. “You sure?” she asked, just to be sure.

“Of course,” he insisted, pushing her towards the staircase. “There isn’t much to do anyway; I’ll just lock up and check the register.” 

“Alright, thanks,” she said, starting up the steps. “Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

“I won’t,” he promised, gesturing at her to keep climbing. “Sweet dreams, noona”   
  
“Goodnight, Hwa,” she said with a wave, smiling at the kind look on his face as he bid her farewell.

Seonghwa watched as Yena climbed up the stairs to their small apartment on the second floor then headed out of the backroom, making his way behind the register. The shop hadn’t had many customers today, so there wasn’t much to do, but he still went through their record of each purchase and cross-checked it with the amount of money in the register. Satisfied that nothing had been misplaced, Seonghwa closed the till and straightened up the counter, humming to himself. He was almost done when he noticed the parchment on the floor, recognizing it as the one San had been about to show Yena; the sketch of their missing friend. Seonghwa bent down and picked it up, hesitating once it was in his hands.

_It couldn’t hurt to look_ , he rationalized. _It would just satisfy my curiosity._

He unfolded the sheet of parchment, eyes widening as he scanned the paper. The sketch was simple, bold lines showing a man in his late-twenties with a sweep of hair pushed back under a tattered hat. It was not a particularly memorable sketch, but it made Seonghwa’s mind race nonetheless. He had seen this man before.

It had been late evening and Seonghwa had been preparing to close up the shop. Yena had left to run some errands, so he had been alone that night. He had just started to open the register when the bell rang, signalling that someone had entered the store.

He’d looked towards the door and seen a group of three men walk into the small bookshop, all of them around their late twenties. The man at the front was tall with messy brown locks shoved under a battered looking hat. Despite the heat of the day, he was wearing a long overcoat, red scarf and black leather gloves. One of the men behind him had been rather tall with classic black locks while the other was on the shorter side, with pastel pink hair framing his face. 

If his memory served, the group had purchased a few books as well as several maps before heading out. Their visit had been short, perhaps ten or fifteen minutes, but it was enough to make a lasting impression on him. The three of them had clearly been from out of town, which wasn’t all that odd; Kader was a small place and most of their business came from visiting merchants. What had been unusual was the sheer amount of magical energy Seonghwa could feel radiating from the group: it had almost overwhelmed his senses. 

At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it but looking back on the encounter, the visitors didn’t seem like run-of-the-mill merchants. It was likely they were part of the pirate crew Hongjoong was looking for. 

_I should tell him,_ Seonghwa thought to himself. _The pirates seemed so desperate for information, I should tell them about this. It could be helpful_.

Seonghwa looked outside the windows; it was dark but the streets were still filled with people. It would take forever to find the pirate crew, if they hadn’t already left. He didn’t even know where to start. He knew it was hopeless, but he also knew he had to try. If he didn’t it would haunt him forever. 

The raven-haired boy walked out from behind the counter to find the right books, racking his brain to remember what the man in the picture had come here to find. He stuffed the books he could find into a satchel and threw the sketch inside as well. Grabbing a sheet of parchment from the backroom, he scribbled a note on the counter for Yena in case she woke up and headed out the door, locking it behind him.

Seonghwa stepped out onto the streets, taking in the twilight hour and the sounds of the crowded plaza up ahead. _This is crazy_ , he thought to himself. _Certifiable. He probably wouldn’t find them, and even if he did, they wouldn’t believe him. If he had any sense, he would turn around right now and walk back into the shop._

Seonghwa paused for moment, thinking again of Yena’s warning to not get involved. Then he thought of the concern in the orange-haired boy’s voice and the sincerity in his eyes. Seonghwa squared his shoulders and walked down the narrow path, heading for main street. He had some pirates to find. 

**…**

The walk to the tavern was filled with tense silence, each crew member lost in their own thoughts. It wasn’t until the three of them entered the dimly lit bar that Mingi could bring himself to ask what had gone down in the shop.

Hongjoong led his crew members to an unoccupied table in the far corner of the establishment, hoping to establish some distance from any curious patrons. He listened with half an ear as San narrated the events of their visit, keeping one eye out for any sign of Jongho or Wooyoung. It took a few minutes but he managed to spot the ship’s master gunner, sitting unobtrusively at the bar, most likely listening in on people’s conversations. 

Hongjoong waited for the brown-haired boy to turn his gaze in their direction, then waved a hand to signal him over. Jongho spotted them immediately, finishing his drink in a single gulp and walking over to their table.  
  
The captain waited for the boy to reach them before joining San and Mingi at the table. He claimed the chair in the corner, so that he could keep his back to the room and his eye on the rest of the room. Jongho took the chair next to his and leaned over to clap a hand on his shoulder in welcome.

“Captain,” he said, voice filled with good cheer. “Did you come down here to make sure I was staying out of trouble?”

Despite the hardships of the evening, Hongjoong couldn’t help but smile at their resident weapon’s expert. He had a soft spot for the good-natured brown-haired boy. In the time that he had spent with him, he’d learned that Jongho was as level-headed in most situations as he was on the ship, his mature demeanour making him seem older than his years. 

“Came to see if you found any leads,” he replied, ruffling the boy’s hair with a practised motion. Jongho made an attempt at dodging his hands, then settled back into his seat with a frown.

“Nothing worthwhile,” he admitted, glancing around at the others. “If the Black Swan docked at Kader, they were insanely low profile; Wooyoung and I didn’t hear the slightest mention of them.” 

“Where is Wooyoung?” San questioned, looking around as if he expected the lavender-haired boy to jump out of the shadows. 

“The others were finished at the market, so Wooyoung decided to help them lug the supplies back to the ship,” Jongho explained. “I thought I’d hang around here a little longer, see if anything new turned up, but so far I’ve got nothing.”

Hongjoong cursed under his breath and exchanged a worried glance with Mingi; they had wasted an entire day and had no new information to show for it. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he felt as though their chances of finding the Black Swan were dwindling by the second. 

“What about you? Did you find anything?” Jongho asked, looking hopeful. Hongjoong quickly explained the coded cipher San had found and how the three of them had gone to the bookstore in hopes of discovering a trail to follow. The master gunner looked shocked, asking to examine the letter which San handed over with a flourish. 

After a few seconds of awed silence, Jongho looked up at the three of them again. “What did you find at the bookstore? Are we really sailing to Utopia?”

Mingi scoffed. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up, Jongho-yah. The bookshop lead turned out to be a dead end.” He then recounted the tense stand-off with the mages who worked at the store, and at the end of his story, Jongho was staring at them wide-eyed.

“Mages? Real mages? That’s so cool!” he breathed, looking for a minute like the teenager he was.

“It was pretty cool,” San admitted with a chuckle, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. “The black-haired boy certainly knew a lot about the old legends. Unfortunately, they didn’t know anything about Namjoon or the crew so we still don’t know why the Black Swan docked at Kader or where they might have gone from here. I wish we could have talked to them a bit longer; I don’t think they got a chance to look at the sketch.”

“If we’d stayed there any longer, that girl would have turned us in to the authorities,” Mingi growled, venom dripping from his words. “She still might; we should leave this place as soon as possible.”

Hongjoong hesitated; for some reason he didn’t think that the auburn-haired girl was the type to act so vindictively. Despite her obvious anger, she hadn’t made any move to harm them and she’d had several opportunities. 

To his surprise, San seemed to be thinking the same thing. “I don’t think that’s likely,” he said, looking pensive. “The pair of them have as much to lose as we do if someone discovers their secret; I think they’d want to stay off the navy’s radar as much as possible.”

Mingi still looked unconvinced, but he decided to drop the matter for the time being. “Either way, we’re still leaving in the morning,” he said, looking at Hongjoong for confirmation. “Do we know where we’re going?”

San and Hongjoong looked at each other, then shook their heads. 

“So what do we do now?” Jongho asked, voicing the question that was on all of their minds.

The captain hesitated, threading a hand through his hair in thought. “Now, I guess we go back to the drawing board,” he admitted. “Q and Yeosang were narrowing down off-grid locations within a two-week sailing distance of this port; maybe they’ve found something.”

San growled in frustration, tugging on the ends of his bangs in frustration. “It’s not much, but I guess it’s all we’ve got.”

Hongjoong laid his head down on the table in defeat; he was tired and confused and wished desperately for a miracle to appear from the heavens to help him solve this problem. When a few moments silence passed and it became apparent that no divine aid was forthcoming, Hongjoong sighed and said, “Let’s go back to the ship. We can regroup with the crew and plan our next move.” 

Before he could summon the energy to stand up, he heard the sound of a chair scraping on the floor as it was pushed back quickly, then Mingi’s voice as he growled, “What are you doing here?”  
  
Hongjoong looked up from the table in surprise, jumping to his feet when he recognized the figure standing in front of their group with an uneasy expression on his face.

It was Seonghwa.

The raven-haired boy looked a little frightened, grip tightening along the straps of the satchel he had brought with him. Hongjoong felt his heart flutter a little, despite himself; the mage still looked beautiful, even in the terrible lighting of the tavern. His storm grey eyes looked troubled, as though he were unsure about what he was doing here.

Hongjoong was unsure too. He wanted to apologize to the other boy for almost hurting him earlier, but a part of him couldn’t help but wonder if this was a trap. He knew couldn’t let his feelings influence his decision-making; it was up to him to make sure the crew wasn’t in danger.

Before he could make up his mind on what to say, the raven-haired boy took a deep breath as if he were steeling himself, then said, “I came here to apologize.”

Hongjoong felt his mind go blank with shock; of all the things that Seonghwa could have said, he certainly hadn’t expected that. It seemed this boy would never stop surprising him. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Mingi and San were sporting similar expressions of confusion. Before any of them could speak, the raven-haired boy continued.

“I came to apologize…and to give you some information. It’s about your friends, the pirates of the Black Swan. I think I know where they might be.”

**…**

The five of them sat around the table in uncomfortable silence. Mingi and San couldn’t help but stare at the bookshop employee with varying levels of hostility. To his credit, Seonghwa didn’t flinch away from their gazes, but met them with steady determination.

Finally, Jongho broke the silence with a confused expression on his face. “Clearly, I’ve missed something. Who is this?”

Mingi replied without tearing his eyes away from where he was glaring at the raven-haired boy. “This is the witch we told you about,” he spat, anger evident in his voice, “From the bookshop.”

Before Hongjoong could admonish him for his poor word choice, Seonghwa turned his head slightly and addressed the quartermaster himself. “I’d prefer if you didn’t use that term. I’d rather not draw attention to myself here,” he said, tone polite but shoulders stiff with tension. 

Mingi didn’t look the slightest bit abashed. “So leave. I thought your friend at the shop made it clear you don’t associate with _our kind_.” 

Seonghwa furrowed his brows in remorse, staring down at the table and tracing the woodgrain pattern with his fingertip. He appeared conflicted about something, and Hongjoong decided to give him time to sort through his thoughts, while flashing a look at Mingi to say, _play nice._

“It’s not that simple,” he said finally, speaking in a low tone. “Yena-noona, she has a complicated past. When she was a child, she got captured and sent to a lab to have experiments conducted on her… she was there for several months before she managed to escape along with the rest of the kids in the facility. It’s why she’s so protective of her secret, and mine. She knows better than most the risks of discovery.”

“That’s awful,” Hongjoong murmured, mouth twisting into a frown. “I hope you know we would never turn anyone in to the authorities. That—it didn’t even cross our minds.”

Seonghwa hesitated, then opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted before he could.

“I’m sorry that happened to her and I don’t blame her for having trust issues,” Mingi interjected with a frown, looking only marginally less angry, “but that doesn’t explain why she hates pirates so much.”

“It was a pirate crew who captured her,” Seonghwa said quietly, avoiding the gaze of everyone at the table. “They killed her entire family and sold her to the government in exchange for gold.” 

The sounds of the tavern around them seemed to fade away, and the silence that echoed across the table was deafening. Hongjoong felt sick to his stomach at the thought of someone murdering an entire family and selling a girl to slavery for gold. The idea that Seonghwa might think he was someone was like that…he shuddered and shook his head to clear it of his thoughts. Across the table, San looked similarly ill, face pale in the dim lighting of the tavern. He made an abortive gesture, as if he had wanted to reach out and comfort the raven-haired boy before stopping himself.

“I’m not saying that you would do something like that or that all pirates are evil,” Seonghwa rushed to explain, lifting his gaze from the table. “I don’t think Yena thinks that either, not really. She’s just… its hard for her to see that mark and not associate it with what happened to her.” 

Hongjoong exchanged glances with Mingi and San. Seonghwa seemed honest enough, and it was unfortunately a story that they had heard before. Hongjoong had seen people do some terrible things for money. The members of the Aurora were taught to protect innocents and fight without dealing lethal blows whenever possible, but each pirate crew was different. Not every captain believed in avoiding collateral damage; some encouraged it.

“I would have let it go,” Seonghwa continued, glancing around the table with entreating eyes, “but after you left, I looked at that sketch you wanted to show us and realized that I had actually seen the people you were talking about. I thought… I figured I should tell you what I know.”

San leaned forward with interest. “You saw him? The man from the sketch? Namjoon?”

Seonghwa frowned as he reached into his satchel, pulling out the drawing and laying it flat on thetable. “I don’t know his name. He never introduced himself. But he looked just like the person in this sketch. He had green eyes, almond brown hair and was wearing a long black coat with a tattered red scarf around his neck.”  


Hongjoong’s eyes widened and he felt a wisp of hope curl in his chest. “When was this?”

“Two weeks ago? Maybe two and a half weeks?” Seonghwa said, furrowing his brows in thought. “It was late evening, and I was getting ready to close the shop when they showed up.”  
  
“They?” Mingi questioned, with an inquisitive tilt to his head.

Seonghwa nodded. “There were three people, the man from the sketch and two others. A tall, fair-skinned man with black hair, handsome in a classical kind of way and a shorter, pink-haired man with round cheeks.”  
  
“Jin and Jimin…” San mused with a frown. “I wonder why Namjoon brought them instead of Yoongi.”

Hongjoong shook his head. “I haven’t the slightest idea.” He turned to look at Seonghwa. “What were they looking for? Did they say anything about where they were going?”

“They didn’t say anything about themselves or where they were going, but they were looking for maps of the surrounding islands, as well as any information we had on the Sanctuary.”

All of the pirates at the table reeled backwards in surprise. The Sanctuary was a place that existed in the grey area between rumour and reality; it was a real place but so few people had been there, it might as well have been a legend. The remote temple complex was supposed to be a safe haven for mages seeking refuge. It was kept off most maps and few people knew its true location; the mages who built the place went to great lengths to prevent the government from finding it. Hongjoong himself only knew what the mages on the Black Swan had told him; the details of its location were a well-protected secret among the magical community.

San frowned, looking at Hongjoong with confusion. “That doesn’t make sense,” he said. “I thought the letter said they were looking for Utopia? Did they change their plans?”  
  
“The letter?” Seonghwa questioned.  
  
Hongjoong exchanged a glance with San and Mingi to confirm that the two of them were on board with filling Seonghwa in on the details. When he received no objections, he turned to the mage and said, “I told you I got a message from Namjoon, the captain of the Black Swan, three weeks ago right?”  
  
“Right,” Seonghwa confirmed. “You said the letter told you to meet them here, in Kader.”

“Okay, so what you don’t know is that San found a coded cipher in the message that said, _We have found Utopia,_ ” Hongjoong explained, hoping the raven-haired boy wouldn’t find them insane.

“What?” Seonghwa gasped, his normally passive expression painted with shock.

Jongho passed Seonghwa the letter he had been looking at earlier, and the mage took it with eager hands, examining the note with curious eyes. 

He looked up at the table, a flash of understanding in his gaze. “That’s why you asked us about the legends and the compass,” he deduced. “You think the Black Swan actually found Utopia?” 

“We think its possible,” San answered carefully, wondering if the boy would laugh at their claim or call them delusional. Seonghwa did nothing of the sort, just continued to read the letter with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Are you sure they didn’t ask about Utopia? Even indirectly?” San questioned, leaning forward to make eye-contact with the raven-haired boy.

“I’m sure,” Seonghwa answered, meeting the first mate’s gaze without hesitation.

“What does this mean?” Jongho broke in to ask, looking around the table for answers.

“I don’t know,” Hongjoong admitted. “The Sanctuary is remote, but I don’t think it’s off-grid. Our message would have reached them if they were there.”

“Off-grid?” Seonghwa asked, looking a little lost. 

“Places high in magical energy that aren’t on the communication system,” San explained, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. “Somewhere the messenger birds couldn’t find you.”

“I didn’t know there were such places,” Seonghwa said, looking intrigued. 

“We didn’t either till this morning,” Hongjoong confessed. “Our lookout told us about them. Something about the natural enchantments in the atmosphere must tamper with the navigation systems. We think the Black Swan is stuck at one of these locations.”

“Utopia would be off-grid, wouldn’t it?” Seonghwa inquired, reaching the same conclusions that Hongjoong and San had earlier that morning.  


“Most likely,” San agreed. “If it exists, then it’s probably covered with magical enchantments; a place like that would have to be.”

“Isn’t that a moot point now?” Mingi interrupted, breaking his unusual silence. “It’s clear that the Black Swan went to the Sanctuary; we should head there too.”

“Odds are they’re not still there,” San argued. “Our letter would have reached them if they were.”

Mingi frowned, but Jongho interrupted to mediate. “You never know,” he said. “Maybe the communication system malfunctioned and the crew is there. Besides, this is our only lead now."

“It just doesn’t add up,” San complained, shaking his head in discontent. “I feel like we’re missing something. Why would they go the Sanctuary out of the blue?”

Hongjoong wondered that too; he felt as though there was more to the picture than what they were seeing, but he didn’t understand what it could be. Across the table, Seonghwa looked as though he were about to speak, then decided to stay silent. 

“I guess it’s settled then,” Hongjoong said, standing up from the table. “We’re heading for the Sanctuary."

Seonghwa stood up too, then reached into his satchel and dropped a few books onto the table. “I brought some books with me; these are the same ones that Namjoon bought when he came to the store,” he explained. “I thought you might want to read them, see if you can find anything. You’ll need maps too. I don’t…there are a few here, but these are kind of vague. I have more accurate ones, but I left them at the store.” 

Hongjoong turned to look at the mage. "If I come with you now, can we pick them up?”

Seonghwa hesitated, then nodded.

“Alright, then you three, head back to the ship. Tell them the change of plans, and make the needed preparations.” He waited for the rest of them to get up from the table, then locked eyes with San and nodded, both of them long past needing words to communicate. “I’ll go get the maps, then meet you back at the ship.”

He turned back to Seonghwa. “Let’s go,” he said, gesturing for the mage to follow him outside. 

The pair exited the tavern and walked to the bookstore in silence, their footsteps swift against the cobblestone path. Hongjoong glanced at the mage’s profile as he walked; he looked dashing in the moonlight, features highlighted in the silver glow.

"I don’t think I thanked you yet for helping us,” the pirate captain said conversationally, keeping his voice soft.

Seonghwa turned to look at him, seeming to be startled by the sudden declaration. “You don’t have to,” he said, waving his hands in front of him modestly. 

“I do,” Hongjoong insisted, wanting the mage to understand. "Not everyone would go out of their way to help a complete stranger. Thank you.”

Seonghwa shook his head, looking uncomfortable with the praise. “It was the right thing to do,” he demurred. 

“How noble of you,” Hongjoong teased, smiling as the words caused Seonghwa to splutter. “Seonghwa, have we met before? I can’t help but feel as though I know you from somewhere. Other than the night you crashed into me, of course.”

The mage’s eyes widened, immediately apologizing for the incident as he gestured with frantic movements. Hongjoong laughed, feeling an odd rush of pleasure at seeing the usually stoic man so flustered. He liked the way his words seem to unnerve the otherwise calm man; he wondered how else he could elicit such reactions… 

_No_ , he scolded himself. _Bad Hongjoong, Focus on the quest, not your feelings._

“In all seriousness,” he said, wanting to return to his original question. “You seem so familiar to me, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve seen you somewhere before. I don’t recall my childhood very well; the memories are fuzzy at best. Do you remember meeting me before?” 

The mage hesitated, seeming to consider his next words carefully. He glanced at Hongjoong out of the corner of his eye, then flushed and turned to face the street again. 

“No, I don’t think so,” he said finally. “Perhaps I just remind you of someone you once knew.” 

Hongjoong felt as though the mage wasn’t being entirely honest with his answer; something in his voice made him think Seonghwa knew more than he was revealing.

“Perhaps,” Hongjoong said, choosing to drop the matter for the time being. He continued to observe the raven-haired man as the pair of them left the main street and turned into the alleyways. The mage kept darting looks at the captain, then turning away again. A few times he opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it and remained silent.

“What is it?” the captain asked finally, “You look as though you want to say something.”

Seonghwa hesitated, contemplating his words before speaking. “Earlier, you asked why the Black Swan would go to the Sanctuary….” 

“Yes, it strikes me as curious,” Hongjoong admitted. “Why? Do you know something?”  


“I’m not sure… I was just thinking…if their crew was looking for Utopia, they’d want to find the lost compass and the map of stars first, right?”

“Sure,” Hongjoong agreed.

“Well, according to some people, the lost compass is just a regular compass blessed by the gods,” Seonghwa said, glancing at him to see if he remembered.

“The story you told us,” the captain replied, “the lovers and the girl who prayed to the gods.”

“Right,” Seonghwa nodded. “In the story she made a pilgrimage to the most sacred temple of the gods…” 

“So?” Hongjoong didn’t quite understand what the mage wanted to explain.

Seonghwa paused, then said after a moment, “There are speculations that the Sanctuary was built on the ruins of an ancient temple, a place of significance that harnessed the power of the old gods.”

The orange-haired man’s eyes widened in understanding.“You think the Sanctuary is built on the ruins of temple in the story? That’s what the crew went there to find? To get the lost compass?”  
  
Seonghwa nodded carefully. “Given the books they purchased and the information you’ve told me about their original plans, I think it’s a possible explanation.”

As the two of them emerged onto the narrow street where the bookshop was located, Seonghwa produced a key from his satchel and unlocked the door, holding it open for Hongjoong to step inside first.

The captain did so with a nod of thanks, as he said, “That makes sense. I mean its crazy, but it makes a lot of sense.”

“Do you think so?” Seonghwa asked, looking a bit surprised that Hongjoong had accepted his explanation.

“Mmm… I’ll tell Yeosang about the matter. He’s our navigator,” Hongjoong clarified, as he noticed the confused expression on the raven-haired man’s face. “Not as well-read as you, I suspect, but leagues better than the rest of us.” He looked around the shop as he asked, a little wary, “Is she still here? Yena?”

Seonghwa had dropped his satchel on the counter and disappeared into the backroom, presumably to find the maps from his stores. His voice floated into the main room of the shop as he replied, ”Upstairs, sleeping.”

Hongjoong made a noise of surprise. “She lives here?”  
  
Seonghwa emerged from the backroom, a bundle of papers clutched in his hands. He made his way to where Hongjoong was standing as he answered carelessly, “We both do.”

“Oh?” Hongjoong’s voice held a hint of disappointment that he couldn’t conceal; he wondered how long the couple had been together. 

Seonghwa seemed to understand his assumption and his eyes widened as he realized how his sentence could have been construed. “Not like that—” he rushed to clarify. “She’s a sister to me, in everything but blood. I owe her more than I know how to repay,” he paused, the silence thick in the shop. “Here are the maps,” he said after a moment, changing the subject as he handed the stack over to the captain.

Hongjoong cleared his throat, and decided it would be better to move on from the topic entirely. “Thank you,” he said. “Is there anything else you think we’d need?”

Seonghwa seemed to consider the question carefully, his grey eyes narrowing in thought. “The first two maps should help you find the island, then these maps here should help you find your way on foot once you’ve docked,” he said, using his fingers to keep count (a gesture Hongjoong couldn’t help but find adorable). “Of course, you’ll need a mage to find the exact location of the entrance, but once you reach the general area, it should be fairly simple.”

Hongjoong’s mind, which had been focused on the raven-haired boy’s hands, went on high-alert as he questioned what he had just heard. “What? Say that last part again?”

Seonghwa looked at him with confusion. “The Sanctuary, it can only be found by those with the gift,” he said slowly. “You knew that, right?” 

“No,” the captain said, shaking his head as he felt the panic set in. “Are you certain?”  
  
The mage nodded. “Only mages can find the entrance to the Sanctuary; it’s a form of protection to keep us safe from those who would wish us harm.”

“Right,” Hongjoong exhaled, realizing the enormity of his problem. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” Seonghwa asked with a tilt to his head. “Surely someone on your crew has the gift…”

“No one,” Hongjoong said, looking at Seonghwa in desperation. “What am I going to do?”  
  
Seonghwa could only shake his head helplessly; he had no answers either.

“That’s simple,” a voice called from behind him. “Take Seonghwa with you.”

Hongjoong whirled around in shock. To his amazement, it was the auburn-haired bookshop owner who had expelled them from the store earlier that evening. She was leaning against the doorway of the backroom, her gaze fixed on the pirate captain. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and she was wearing a sleeping robe over her clothes, but her eyes looked as fierce as they had before. He swallowed audibly, trying not to make any sudden movements. 

“Noona?” Seonghwa had turned to face the interloper as well, his voice coloured with surprise. "I thought you were sleeping.”

“I was,” she agreed, walking out from behind the counter to join them. “I heard the door open and I came down to make sure someone hadn’t broken in.” 

Yena paused and turned to look at her apprentice with withering eyes, her voice ice-cold as she said, “Looks like you took my advice about staying away from the pirates?” 

The raven-haired boy’s expression turned contrite, but he didn’t back down. “I’m sorry, I was going to leave well enough alone, I swear, but then I saw the picture and I realized I had seen them before and I knew I could help and—” Seonghwa took a breath, reminding himself to compose his thoughts before speaking. “This is different,” he said, staring at his mentor with beseeching eyes. “Hongjoong— I trust him.”

The pirate captain startled at the proclamation, gazing at the raven-haired mage in wonder. How could Seonghwa be so faithful after one meeting? Was he not scared of Hongjoong? 

The earnest sentiment seemed to melt Yena’s facade as well. Her expression softened and her voice became more resigned than angry. “One day that kind heart of yours is going to get you into trouble you can’t get out of, Seonghwa,” she said, with a sigh. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” 

“If I could interrupt,” Hongjoong spoke up, faltering only a little when her fierce gaze turned on him. "Seonghwa told us briefly about your past. I’m terribly sorry about what happened to you but I promise, the members of Aurora, we’re not like that. We follow a code, even if it doesn’t always align with the laws. We wouldn’t hurt you or Seonghwa, I promise.”

Hongjoong could feel the raven-haired boy’s gaze on him as he delivered his impromptu speech, but he kept his own eyes fixed on Yena, awaiting her response. 

“I figured that much,” the auburn-haired girl snorted. “Why do you think I haven’t blasted you out of my shop yet?” she said, calling forth arcs of high-voltage energy to spark around her fingertips threateningly.

Hongjoong couldn’t help but take a step back at the sight of the energy coiled around Yena’s fingertips, an instinctual reaction to the threat she presented. 

“Noona, don’t scare him,” Seonghwa chided, darting his eyes between the two of them.

“You never let me have any fun, Hwa,” she complained, even as she headed his request. “Fine, I’ll behave,” she promised, though her eyes still sparkled with mischief, reminding the captain of his first mate. “Back to my point,” she said, “why don’t you take Seonghwa with you to the Sanctuary? He can help you find the entrance.”  


Hongjoong frowned, opting to ignore her ridiculous suggestion for the time being, “How much of our conversation did you hear?” he asked instead.  
  
“Enough,” she said with a shrug. “What do you say? I know you’ve always wanted to visit the temple, Hwa. This is your chance to cross something off your bucket list and do your good deed for the month. It’s a win-win.”

Seonghwa frowned at her light-hearted tone, but he did seem to be considering the suggestion seriously.

“I can’t ask you to just leave your life behind, Seonghwa,” Hongjoong interrupted. “The journey could take weeks and it would be dangerous. You’d have to sail on an unfamiliar ship with a crew of strangers; I couldn’t ask you do something like that.”

Seonghwa turned to face Hongjoong, surprise written on his face. “You’d be all right with me coming?”  
  
The captain frowned in confusion. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”  
  
“I’m a stranger and a mage at that,” the raven-haired boy exclaimed. “You’d trust me on your ship, with your crew?"

“You willingly sought out a band of pirates that had mere hours ago tried to impale you with a dagger,” Hongjoong pointed out. “I’m more worried about the fact that you seem to trust us.”

“That was a misunderstanding; you were acting in defence,” Seonghwa said, voice more casual than the captain thought it should be for a near-death experience. “I don’t think you have ill-intentions.” 

“I don’t think you have proper self-preservations instincts,” Hongjoong countered, falling back on his snark to cover his disbelief at the fact that Seonghwa seemed to be considering this idea seriously.

“Finally, the pirate captain talks sense,” Yena added with a smirk, though she subsided at the warning look her apprentice gave her.

Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong for a minute, attempting to discern the truth from his face.“If you really don’t mind—“ 

“I really don’t,” the orange-haired captain confirmed, knowing that he had no objections to the raven-haired mage. After tonight, he couldn’t believe such a kind-hearted individual would be capable of hurting them, or anyone else.

“Then I’ll do it,” Seonghwa declared, gaze burning with determination. “I’ll travel with you to the Sanctuary and help you find the Black Swan."


	6. The Journey Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ship was stunning; all dark, polished wood and billowing white sails. The figurehead was a detailed carving of an angel mid-flight, wings extended out to either side of the hull. In one hand she held a wooden lantern, as if she was lighting the way for the ship, showing them the path through dark waters. Seonghwa followed the captain's gaze to the deck of the ship, where he could just make out six figures silhouetted against the rising sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~Lao-Tzu

Hongjoong stared at Seonghwa in disbelief. He must have fallen asleep and tumbled into a parallel universe. The pirate captain had realized over the course of the evening that the raven-haired mage was kind, unusually so, but this went beyond a desire to help those in need. Surely no one would be willing to uproot their lives for a dangerous quest just because a stranger needed help. No one was that kind.

_Eden-hyung was that kind_ , Hongjoong’s mind reminded him, _Namjoon too_. _After all, both of them had taken in an orphaned child when no one else would have. He was only here because of their extraordinary kindness. Perhaps it was just the pirate captain’s destiny, to have his fate intertwined with such unbelievably good-hearted people._

He waited in silence, thinking that perhaps the shopkeepers would burst into laughter and explain that this was just a joke. That seemed the more possible explanation. However once several moments of quiet had passed, Hongjoong couldn’t take it any longer.

“You’re kidding, right?” he burst out, looking between the two bookshop employees with growing incredulity. “You’re willing to leave your entire life behind to join my _pirate crew_ on a dangerous quest, just because we need help? Why”  


“Why not?” Yena said, acting as though her apprentice offered to join pirate crews regularly. 

Seonghwa silenced her with a glance, then turned to Hongjoong with a stubborn set to his eyes. “If someone is able to help those in need, then that person is honour-bound to do so. I’m able to help you, so I will. What better reason is there than that?”

Hongjoong shook his head. “No, no that’s not what happens in real life. You don’t just help every single person you meet…” He paused to consider his words, then amended his previous statement. “Well, okay, maybe _you_ do, but this isn’t like carrying someone’s bags down the street, this could be a matter of life or death!”

“I understand,” Seonghwa said, his expression serious. “Hongjoong, I wasn’t joking when I offered to help. If your crew is amenable to this idea, then I don’t mind travelling with you to find the entrance to the Sanctuary. Especially if it could help you save the lives of people you consider family.”

Hongjoong wilted, stumbling back to lean against the nearest bookshelf. He hadn’t walked into this shop expecting to add another member to his crew, yet it looked like that’s what was happening. His thoughts were racing too fast for his mind to comprehend; he needed to take a minute and _think._

Seonghwa’s voice became impossibly gentle. “I understand that this is probably a lot to process. If speed were not of the essence, I would suggest you return to the ship and sleep on your decision. As it stands, I don’t believe that you have the luxury of time.”  


Hongjoong closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I guess you’re right. I don’t have that luxury,” he conceded. 

Standing up straight, he locked his gaze with the raven-haired mage and made his decision.“Pack whatever you think you’d need for a month’s journey as well as all the information you have on the Sanctuary, Utopia and the lost compass. If you have any maps or navigation equipment you think might be useful, pack that too.”

Seonghwa’s mouth parted in shock; for a brief moment he looked utterly taken aback, as though he hadn’t expected Hongjoong to acquiesce so quickly. The captain hadn’t expected it either; he was known for being someone who spent hours, if not days, deliberating his plans and making sure that no detail was left unaccounted for. He did not work spontaneously or impulsively; it was the reason his crew had managed to survive as long as they had with no serious casualties. 

However, everything about this situation was out of the ordinary and it was becoming rapidly apparent that the pirate captain’s usual method of operation would not be sufficient. Time was short; the longer the Black Swan spent in an unknown magical area, the more dangers they would be exposed to. Hongjoong didn’t have the option of sitting down at his desk for a week and coming up with a perfect plan; he would need to trust his instincts, make snap decisions and change his strategy as problems arose.

As the current situation stood, the crew of the Aurora wouldn’t be able to locate the Sanctuary without a mage; bringing Seonghwa on board made sense. Beyond that, there was something about the raven-haired mage that made Hongjoong feel at ease; he trusted him more than he ever thought he would be able to trust a near-stranger. For some reason, he couldn’t imagine the mage bearing them ill-will. 

The raven-haired man regarded him with a critical gaze; his storm grey irises were inscrutable in the lamplight of the store. For a moment, neither of them moved or spoke. Hongjoong felt as though his soul was being examined and judged to see if it was worthy. Then, with a blink of his eyes, the guarded demeanour vanished and the mage was smiling again, soft and pleasant. 

“I’ll be back in five minutes,” Seonghwa promised, making for the backroom. He stopped and fixed his sister and the pirate captain with a stern look. “Don’t kill each other while I’m gone.”

The auburn-haired girl snorted. “No promises.”

Hongjoong darted a glance at her, and decided it would be in his best interest to remain quiet. However, after a few minutes of tense silence, the bookshop owner sighed and turned to address him. 

“I suppose I owe you an apology for what I said earlier,” she admitted, voice dripping with reluctance. “I was prejudiced and spoke without thinking. Tell your crew I’m sorry, all right?”

Hongjoong was taken aback. When she’d walked out of the backroom in the middle of their conversation, he’d half expected her to incinerate him on the spot. Instead, they’d managed to have an almost civil conversation and now the auburn-haired mage was apologizing…What alternate universe was this? 

“Its fine,” he managed to stutter. “You really don’t mind your apprentice travelling with a pirate crew?” Hongjoong continued, after an awkward pause. “I thought you didn’t trust pirates.”

The auburn-haired girl locked eyes with the pirate captain. “I don’t trust pirates,” she agreed. “I trust Seonghwa, though. I would believe him no matter what and follow him to the ends of the earth. For some reason, he has decided to trust you which means you have my trust as well. Unless you prove otherwise, I will treat you as I do all those who come to us seeking counsel.” 

“People come to the shop for advice?” Hongjoong asked, curious despite himself.

“Surprised?” she said with a twist to her lips. “I can be kind when I want to.” 

When Hongjoong had no answer for her, she rolled her eyes and continued, “Besides, I know my apprentice. If I told him to leave this matter alone, it wouldn’t work. He can be like a dog with a bone at times; stubborn to a fault.”

“He seems rather…trusting,” Hongjoong pointed out. “Has he always been like that?” he asked, hoping to gain a better insight of his newest crew member.

Yena examined him carefully. Whatever she was looking for, she must have found because she answered his question with a nod. “Seonghwa likes to believe the best in people. He can appear cold to those who don’t know him, but he has a big heart. He feels too much and he cares too deeply about everyone; he holds himself responsible for even a stranger’s pain. He’s been like that for as long as I’ve known him, and I’ve known him most of his life.”

“He said he owes you more than he can hope to repay,” the captain remembered, curious at the sentiment. “What did he mean?”  
  
The auburn-haired girl shook her head, a faint smile crossing her lips. “I met Seonghwa when he was just a child coming into his powers. He didn’t have anyone to turn to at the time, so I took him under my wing, mentored him and helped him understand his gift. I like to think he imprinted on me like a duckling.”  


“His family didn’t help him?” Hongjoong questioned.

Yena’s face darkened at this, though her voice remained carefully light. “That’s not my story to share. Suffice it to say, Seonghwa hasn’t talked to his parents in a long time.”

Just then, the mage himself reappeared from the back room with a leather backpack slung over his shoulders. He had changed clothes, donning a white linen shirt and warm brown jacket with black trousers and tall leather boots. His ebony locks had been pushed back from his forehead, giving him the air of a prince about to embark on a quest. 

(Hongjoong supposed it wasn’t far from the truth; they were about to leave on a long journey and Seonghwa certainly looked as dashing as a monarch.) 

He laid his pack down onto the counter, then made his way to the back of the shop, plucking books from the shelves in a seemingly random order.

“I gave you most of the books we had on the Sanctuary already,” he said, walking around the store as he talked. “I’ve got a few on myths and legends; I think this one is the most comprehensive though.” Seonghwa held up an enormous old tome, leather bound with gilded edges. 

The pirate captain’s eyes widened, and he refused it instantly. “Not that one,” he insisted.

The mage looked at him with a pout. “Why not?” he whined, which should not have made him sound so endearing. The captain shook his head to clear his mind, then said, “We’re travelling on a ship. Don’t bring valuables that can’t be replaced; besides, that thing looks ancient.”  


Seonghwa sighed, then placed the book carefully back onto the shelf. “Fine,” he grumbled. The mage made his way through the shelves one more time, choosing a few smaller books to add to the pile in his hand. “These should be enough,” he decided and carried his haul to the counter, placing them into the satchel he’d dropped there earlier. He looked around the shop with remorseful eyes. “I guess this is it, then.”

Hongjoong swallowed; he knew how hard it could be to say goodbye to place you had called home for so long. He decided to give the two shopkeepers a moment alone; he walked to the door quietly, maps clutched in his hand. “I’ll be waiting outside. Find me whenever you’re ready..”

**…**

Seonghwa watched the orange-haired pirate captain walk outside the bookshop, and stared after him in silence. He couldn’t quite comprehend the turn of events the night had led to. When he’d left the store earlier that evening, he’d intended on talking to the pirates then returning home to his own life. Now he was about to join the pirate captain and his crew on a quest to one of the most sacred places a mage could visit. 

Finding the pirates had been remarkably easy; talking to them…not so much. Seonghwa still felt shaken from the hostile stares he’d received as he walked up to the crew members in the tavern. The tall, dark-haired one seemed to hold a particular hatred for his kind and Seonghwa shuddered at the thought of spending the next few weeks in close quarters on their ship. 

_Remember why you’re doing this_ , he thought to himself. _Hongjoong needs your help._

Right. Hongjoong. In the few hours he’d spent with the orange-haired pirate captain, he couldn’t help but feel a strange connection to him. There was something about his mannerisms, his speech, the colour of his hair… it all reminded Seonghwa of the young boy he had met so many years ago, in a small back alley behind a church. 

_Could this truly be the same person?_

It seemed impossible to consider; it had been more than a decade since their encounter. What were the odds that the two of them would meet again in a different time and place? It felt like too much of a coincidence to be true, but Seonghwa couldn’t think of another explanation that would account for the odd connection he felt with the pirate captain. 

_Their first meeting had been a trick of fate; could the universe have allowed their paths to cross once more?_

The mage couldn’t help but wonder. If this was the same child he’d met a decade ago, what had happened to him in the years since? How had he become a pirate? Had he ever thought of the strange raven-haired child he’d met one fateful afternoon or was the moment lost to time? 

Hongjoong had said that Seonghwa seemed familiar, but maybe he just reminded the pirate captain of someone else. There was no way to be certain. Even if the orange-haired man was the same person he’d met as a child, he would have no doubt changed and matured since then. Perhaps it was best to let sleeping dragons lie; dredging up old memories could prove to be troublesome in the long run. 

He thought of the bracelet he’d slipped into his bag on impulse. The leather bands had worn down over the years, but the dark blue gemstone still shone and sparkled. Seonghwa wasn’t entirely sure why he’d brought the old keepsake with him; perhaps it was to remind himself of the promise he’d made all those years ago.

Regardless of the past, the important thing was that Seonghwa had agreed to travel with the pirate captain and his crew. However, he had to admit that his motivations weren’t totally selfless. He did want to help the captain find the Black Swan, but he also wanted to spend more time with the orange-haired pirate who’d managed to captivate him in the matter of minutes. 

Not to mention, this journey would give him the chance to explore the Sanctuary in person. He’d heard stories from visiting mages, about the splendour and beauty of the old temple complex, but now he would be able to discover it for himself. 

Before Seonghwa could ponder further, his mentor’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “How quickly they grow up!” Yena lamented, with a theatrical sigh and a fake sniffle. 

“Noona,” he admonished, turning to look at the auburn-haired mage. He felt a sudden pang of guilt at the thought of leaving her alone for an unknown period of time, with no guarantee of his safe return. 

As always, Yena seemed to be able to read his mind because her tone became serious. “I’ll be fine, Seonghwa,” she insisted. “Don’t worry about me.”

Seonghwa frowned, scanning her with an assessing gaze. “You’re not upset that I’m leaving?”  
  
She rolled her eyes “I know you, Hwa. Better than you know yourself. There’s no way you would have walked away from someone who needed help,” she sighed. “It’s one of the things I love best about you."

The raven-haired mage smiled softly at the reminder. “There’s no chance I can persuade you to come along? Hongjoong probably won’t mind.”  
  
Yena smirked. “I’m glad to see you have him wrapped around your little finger already.”

Seonghwa spluttered, waving his hands in denial. He hadn’t meant to speak for the captain so boldly; he just thought that the man seemed kind enough to allow such a request.

His mentor laughed, bright and cheerful. It was a sound the raven-haired mage associated with comfort and home; he wondered how long it would be till he heard it again. Yena continued to smile at him, but her tone become more serious. “I can’t, Hwa. I can trust them but going onto their ship… travelling with them… I don’t know that I’d ever be able to do that.” 

Seonghwa nodded. He hadn’t really expected her to agree. He knew that this wouldn’t stop him from going on the quest; it was the right thing to do, and it was what he wanted. Still, Seonghwa couldn’t help but wish there was a way for him to be in two places at once. 

“I understand,” he said. He knew that his mentor could take care of herself, but it was in his nature to be concerned. “I just…What if you need me? What if you need me and I’m not here?”

“I’m sure I can find someone else to clean the counters and grab books from the top shelf,” Yena joked.

“Noona,” Seonghwa said chided softly, unwilling to make light of the matter.

The auburn-haired girl huffed. “I know, but what’s going to happen to me here? This is a safe town, you know that,” she reminded him. “It’s why we moved here.”

“I do know,” Seonghwa agreed. “I just…”

"You worry. I know. But I can take care of myself,” his mentor said with a smile as she walked over to ruffle his hair affectionately.  
  
“Of course you can,” Seonghwa confirmed, leaning into her touch with a sigh. “I’ll still worry though.”

Yena shook her head with a smile. “You have a good heart, Seonghwa,” she said. “Don’t let them take advantage of it, all right. I’m serious,” she added, fixing him with a stern look. “Be careful on the ship. Remember to look out for yourself too.” 

Seonghwa nodded; he knew that despite her nonchalant manner, his mentor was concerned about him. The two mages stood in silence for a moment, taking comfort in each other’s presence. Then, when he could delay no longer, Seonghwa collected his belongings and walked to the door, his mentor following behind him. 

Once the pair was outside, he turned to face his sister and closest confident, feeling his eyes sting with sudden tears. “Look after yourself, Yena-noona,” he whispered, pulling her into a fierce hug. “I’ll be back soon, alright?”

“You better,” she threatened, though her voice sounded choked. Despite her small stature, she held him securely. “Don’t think I won’t come find you if you go missing on me. I’ll find you, then I'll make you wish you were never born,” she promised.

Seonghwa laughed wetly, as he reluctantly stepped out of her arms. “I love you too, noona.”

Yena smiled, reaching up to wipe the tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes. Then she stepped back and turned to the orange-haired man who’d been waiting nearby. 

“Hongjoong,” the auburn-haired mage called, voice serious as she locked eyes with the pirate captain. “Take care of him. Bring him back to me.” 

“I will,” the captain nodded, meeting her gaze with confidence. "I promise.”

“Good,” she breathed, then plastered on an attempted grin. “Now get out of here, both of you,” she joked, trying to keep the moment light. "I need my beauty sleep.”

Seonghwa laughed, helpless against her charm and watched as she leaned against the door. He kept the image of her smile in his mind as he turned to walk down the street, leaving behind his home for the dangers of the unknown.

Hongjoong kept pace with him, focused and silent. The air was still and dark as the pair made their way through the town. Even the late-night stragglers had gone home at this hour; the streets were void of colour and life. 

Seonghwa glanced at the profile of the captain as he walked. His orange-hair shone in the night like a lantern flame, warm and inviting. What was it about the man that made Seonghwa want so desperately to be around him? He couldn’t pretend he would have agreed to travel with any other near-stranger; something about the pirate captain was different.

Just then Hongjoong looked over at the mage and Seonghwa startled, not wanting to be caught staring. The pirate didn’t seem to notice, too absorbed in his own thoughts. “It’s not too late to change your mind,” he half-joked, breaking the silence between them. “I would understand if you turned back right now.”

Seonghwa hesitated. He had no idea what was waiting for him at the end of this voyage. He felt nervous and excited and concerned, his mind switching between emotions faster than he could comprehend. However, one thing was certain: he couldn’t go back on his word. He had promised to help the captain and he would see that promise through to its end.

The mage explained as much to the orange-haired pirate, who shook his head in confusion. 

“I still can’t believe that someone could be so kind,” he confessed, flustering the mage with the sudden compliment. “Nevertheless, I’m grateful that you’ve agreed to join us. I don’t know what I would have done otherwise.”

Seonghwa shrugged, hoping his voice didn’t reveal the mess of emotions swirling inside him at the pirate captain’s blatant appreciation. “I’m sure that you would have figured something out,” he said, fighting to keep his tone casual and unaffected. “You seem the resourceful type.”

“I don’t know about that…” Hongjoong demurred. “Though I suppose that desperation is the most inspiring muse.” 

Seonghwa smiled, a quick upturn of the lips. It was refreshing to banter with someone who could match wits with him. “What are you going to tell the crew?” he asked, changing tacks all together. 

“The truth, of course,” Hongjoong replied with a shrug. “I expect the kids will be a bit taken aback, but I don’t think there will be any objections.”

“You might be surprised; people don’t always react well to… my kind,” Seonghwa muttered, more to himself than the captain.  
  
“The Aurora’s not like that,” Hongjoong replied regardless, voice firm. “Whatever your background, on the ship everyone is equal and will be treated as such.”

Seonghwa chuckled, but there was no humour in the sound. “That makes you more open-minded than a majority of the people I know,” he commented, thinking of the slurs and abuse that were often directed at his kind. _Witch_ , the black-haired pirate in the tavern had called him, expression filled with contempt. It stung, but Seonghwa had heard and experienced worse.

“I’d like to think it comes with the profession,” Hongjoong responded, his serious tone at odds with the glib words. “I know there are people who would judge me for what I do, so I try to remind myself to do better than them.”

Seonghwa smiled a little more honestly this time. “You seem rather wise for a pirate,” he teased, attempting to turn the conversation back onto a light-hearted track.

“The side-effect of training under Namjoon, I expect,” Hongjoong retorted, his expression once again filled with amusement. “That man might have more books than you,” he joked, turning to Seonghwa with a sly smile.

“I doubt it,” the mage quipped, then with a tone of forced-casualness, asked, “Namjoon, he took you in as a child?”

“Around ten years ago,” Hongjoong confirmed. “I don’t remember much of my life before then, but from what I’ve gathered, it’s not really worth remembering,” the captain continued, seeming to be unbothered at his lack of memory. “Anyway, Namjoon brought me on board the Black Swan and I sailed under his command till last year, when I left to captain the Aurora.” 

“Why did you leave? Did something happen?” Seonghwa questioned, curiosity getting the better of him before he remembered himself. “Wait, don’t answer that—sorry, I was being nosy.”

“It’s ok,” the orange-haired pirate assured. "We should get to know each other better if you’re going to be sailing with us for the next little while. To answer your question, I left because he thought it was time for me to find my own path.” The captain paused, and a resigned smile crossed his face. “Hate to admit it, but he was probably right. I never would have met my crew if it weren’t for him." 

“Tell me about them,” Seonghwa requested. The mage couldn’t help but wonder what kind of crew a man such as Hongjoong would gather on his ship. He’d met a few of the members at the tavern, but he’d been too nervous about the encounter to consider them properly. Now, he wanted to know all he could discover about the people he would travelling with for the next few weeks.

“The crew?” Hongjoong looked surprised, but not unwilling. “You’ll meet them soon enough.”

“I want to be prepared,” the raven-haired mage insisted.

“It’s not a test,” Hongjoong shook his head, looking amused. “Fine. Let’s see…you’ve met San. He’s the first-mate and in charge of the ship if I’m not around. He looks irresponsible, but he’s got a good-head on his shoulders and a mind for tactics. He used to sail with me on the Black Swan too.”

Seonghwa nodded, listening to his words with careful attention, which made the captain smile.

“Then there’s Mingi, he’s the quartermaster,” Hongjoong continued, voice sheepish. “He was the one who… uh… threw the dagger at you,” he paused, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck.“Sorry again about that.”

“No harm done,” Seonghwa replied, not wanting to dwell on the unfortunate incident. “Although,” the mage couldn’t help but comment, “he doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

Hongjoong winced. “He’s very…loyal,” he said after a moment. “He can take some time to warm up to new people, but once you get to know him, he’s like a puppy.”

“Mn…” Seonghwa said, noncommittally. He doubted it would be that simple to become friends with the man who seemed to hate him, but he decided to drop the topic for the time being.“Who else?”

“Yeosang is our navigator. He was brought up to be a member of the court,” Hongjoong confided, lowering his voice in a mock-whisper. At fist, Seonghwa was taken aback at the thought of an aristocrat abandoning his title to sail with pirates, but then realized he was hardly in a position to judge. 

“He can pour through pages of text that no one else could manage to understand. He seems quiet at first, but don’t let that fool you. He’s got a mischievous streak a mile wide.” The captain paused, then darted an unreadable glance at Seonghwa. “I think you’ll get along well.”

The mage’s eyes narrowed. “What are you insinuating?”  
  
“Nothing at all!” Hongjoong chirped, voice full of hidden laughter. “Say, have I mentioned Yunho yet?” he asked, with a poor attempt at changing the subject. “He’s the ship medic; we’d have bled to death a hundred times if it wasn’t for him. He can be a bit eccentric, but he’s got the patience of a saint.” 

Seonghwa glanced at the captain, noting the fond expression on his face. “You must really care about your crew,” he said, marvelling at the thought of having so many people to rely on. 

For most of his life, Seonghwa had been alone. Then, he’d met Yena and although the auburn-haired mage had done so much for him, she’d always been more of a mentor and older sister to him. Seonghwa had never gotten the chance to become close with a group of peers his own age. He wondered what it would be like; to have friends that you could laugh with, spend time with and trust to be there for you even in the darkest times.

“Why do you say that?” Hongjoong said, his voice jolting Seonghwa out of his thoughts.

“Whenever you talk about them, you can’t help but smile,” the mage pointed out.

Hongjoong looked taken aback, as though that wasn’t the answer he’d expected. “I would do anything for them,” he confessed. “They mean the world to me.” A moment passed as both men pondered over those words. 

“Anyway, who’s left?” Hongjoong looked eager to change the subject. “Ah, Wooyoung! He’s the master rigger, that means he’s in charge of the—”

“Sails and the rigging, I know,” Seonghwa couldn’t help but interrupt, eager to prove his competence.

The captain’s voice took on a curious tone. “You’ve sailed before?” he inquired.  
  
The mage cursed inside his mind. In his excitement to prove himself, he’d forgotten to be careful about what he revealed about his past. “A few times,” he said, hoping that his voice didn’t seem strained. “What’s he like?” he asked, casting about for a distraction.  


“Wooyoung?” Hongjoong frowned, but allowed the sudden change of topic. “He’s the resident troublemaker, along with San. The pair of them are the single-handed cause of my stress, I swear.” He paused, and seemed to consider. “Still, he’s kind and hard-working; a bit of a perfectionist. He spends a lot of time on the ropes with Q, our lookout.”

Seonghwa recognized the name from their previous conversation at the tavern. “The one who told you about off-grid places?”  


“You have a good memory,” Hongjoong looked impressed, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but feel proud. “Yeah, Q’s the one who helped us decode the message too; he’s got a…complicated past, but he’s a sweet kid.” The captain made a contemplative noise as he thought about those he hadn’t mentioned. “Who else?” he mused, “There’s Kevin and Younghoon; they’re the cooks. Chanhee is in charge keeping the books and Sangyeon is the carpenter. Eric is the powder monkey; he’s kind of Jongho’s apprentice.” 

The captain paused and looked at Seonghwa. “I’m guessing you don’t have a weapon,” he questioned. 

“No,” Seonghwa admitted, “just…” He trailed off, gesturing with his hands to explain his magic without words.

“Right,” Hongjoong nodded. “Jongho probably has an extra cutlass for you, maybe even a pistol.” Then he frowned, as it occurred to him, “Although you won’t know how to use them, I suppose.”

“I’ll be fine.” At Hongjoong’s look of confusion, Seonghwa rushed to explain as much as he could without giving himself away. “My father was— something of a weapons fanatic; he trained me when I was younger. Swords, rifles, pistols, daggers: I’ve used them all.”

Hongjoong’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Is that common among wealthy families?”

Seonghwa’s eyes widened. “Not really,” he admitted. “How do you know my family’s wealthy?” 

_If Hongjoong could guess that much, what if he manages to figure out—_ Seonghwa panicked, before reassuring himself. _No, there’s no way. As long as I don’t say anything stupid, no one will suspect._

The orange-haired pirate looked at him with a smirk. “Your posture, the way you talk, the amount of knowledge you have; you’d have to be a member of the aristocracy to receive that much education.”

Seonghwa breathed a sigh of relief; that was a reasonable inference that didn’t threaten his secret. “I— Not quite,” he confessed, deciding to be honest. “My family’s well-off, but not members of the court.” 

Hongjoong hummed in contemplation. “Are you close with them?”  
  
The raven-haired mage stiffened slightly at the question. “I don’t talk to them,” he said, tone cold. “I left home three years ago, the minute I turned eighteen.”

If the captain was startled at his change in demeanour, he didn’t show it. “I’m sorry,” he said, brows furrowed in remorse. 

“I’m not; we never got along anyway.” Seonghwa stopped, and took a deep breath. He hated remembering his parents; it made him think of the past he tried so hard to forget. _The past is the past. You are not that person anymore_ , he reminded himself. He took a breath, then another and after a minute felt composed enough to continue the conversation.“It was better for everyone,” he said, voice warmer than it had been before. “You were talking about Jongho?” 

Hongjoong gave him a keen look, as though he knew that Seonghwa was avoiding the subject, but he went along with the question. “He’s our master gunner and resident weapons expert. You saw him at the tavern, the quiet brown haired boy.”

Seonghwa did remember seeing a young boy sitting at the table; he hadn’t spoken a word the entire time. “He looked young,” the mage remarked.

“He’s 17, but trust me, he’s more mature than most of the crew,” Hongjoong assured.

“Should I be worried?” Seonghwa replied, half-joking. At this point, the two of them had reached the side of town near the harbour; he could see the white sails in the distance. His nerves, which had calmed somewhat during their walk, returned tenfold. Seonghwa tried to keep his mind focused on his conversation with the pirate captain.

Hongjoong was shaking his head as he said, “They are good kids; a little mischievous at times, but kind at heart.”

The mage did some mental math, counting all the names the captain had mentioned so far. _Adding all of them together…_ “There’s thirteen of you?” he surmised.

The captain smiled faintly as he replied, “Fourteen, now.”

Seonghwa felt his heart warm at the immediate acceptance of his place on the ship. “I’m just a guest,” he murmured, ducking his head to hide the way his cheeks had turned pink. _He hadn’t expected to make friends on this voyage, but just maybe…_

Hongjoong frowned, looking serious. “For however long you’re on board the Aurora, we’ll treat you as part of the crew.” He paused, then turned towards the mage. “That’s a promise,” he swore, eyes glinting with determination.

Seonghwa nodded, unable to find the words to respond to such an earnest declaration. It was obvious that _crew_ meant something important to the pirate captain. To be offered a place among those Hongjoong considered family, for however brief a time— it was overwhelming. 

Seonghwa knew that his caring could be seen as overbearing at times. That his gestures of assistance could be considered overstepping or unnecessarily involved. He was used to his kindness being treated with indifference at best and mocked at worst. To have someone reciprocate his intent, matching him step for step—it put the mage at a loss for words. 

He remained silent as he followed the steps of the pirate captain as he led them towards a sleek two-masted schooner berthed on the far side of the docks. Seonghwa studied the vessel as Hongjoong guided him down the docks. 

The ship was stunning; all dark, polished wood and billowing white sails. The figurehead was a detailed carving of an angel mid-flight, wings extended out to either side of the hull. In one hand she held a wooden lantern, as if she was lighting the way for the ship, showing them the path through dark waters. What drew Seonghwa’s attention was the look on her face. While most figureheads looked lost or tragic, the Aurora’s angel looked determined and steadfast, fierce protectiveness carved into her wooden features. 

“She’s beautiful,” Seonghwa breathed. 

The pirate captain looked proud. “The Aurora’s one of a kind,” he agreed. “I had her redesigned myself.” 

Seonghwa hummed in understanding. “Is there a reason you chose an angel for the figurehead? I thought mermaids were more common.”

Hongjoong shrugged, looking sheepish. “It’s actually supposed to be the greek goddess Hestia,” he explained. “The wings were— artistic licence?” 

“Hestia? Goddess of hearth and home?” Seonghwa was surprised. It seemed like an odd choice for a pirate ship. Then again, from the way Hongjoong talked about his crew as if they were the most important people in the world to him, it made sense that he would choose a guardian that embodied those values. 

“It’s said that hope survives best at the hearth; I guess it’s a reminder to never give up even when the situation seems dire,” Hongjoong explained, starting up at the ship with a slight frown. 

Seonghwa opened his mouth to respond, but the captain spoke before he could. “What are they still doing up?” he muttered, expression grim. “Its almost dawn.” 

Seonghwa followed his gaze to the deck of the ship, where he could just make out six figures silhouetted against the rising sun. It looked like the pirates of the Aurora had waited to welcome their captain back to the ship. 

He swallowed nervously; he felt unprepared and anxious. What if the crew hated him? What if they decided he wasn’t to be trusted? After all, he was a complete stranger; it would make sense for them to be suspicious of him. 

As if he could sense the panicked thoughts in the mage’s mind, Hongjoong reached out and squeezed his shoulder in comfort. “It’ll be fine,” he promised. “They’re going to love you.”

Seonghwa exhaled a shaky breath, then nodded with determination. _Right_ , he thought to himself. _Everything would be fine. He would make sure of it._

Steeling his nerves, he followed Hongjoong down the dock where the Aurora was berthed. Reaching the side of the vessel, the pair of them quickly scaled a rope ladder that had been thrown over the edge, making their way onto the main deck. 

…

Hongjoong noted the tense silence of the rest of the crew as he and Seonghwa made their way on board. The six oldest members of his crew were waiting on the deck, each watching the mage with varying levels of incredulity. As expected, it was San who broke the silence.

“Seonghwa!” he cried cheerfully. “Did you miss me so much you came to visit?” 

The raven-haired mage sputtered a bit, looking caught off-guard at the first mate’s animated disposition. “I…um…” he trailed off, glancing at Hongjoong for help.

“There’s been a change of plans,” he announced, deciding to address the matter of their newest addition later. “I assume San, Mingi and Jongho filled the rest of you in?” 

“They said we’re going to the Sanctuary,” Yeosang confirmed with a nod. “I started trying to chart our course, but even with the new maps from the bookstore, I can’t pinpoint an exact location. At best, I can get us near the island, but even that’s doubtful.” 

“Its part of the protection system,” Seonghwa explained, fidgeting a little when all eyes turned to him. “The location of the Sanctuary was designed to be as unknown as possible, so that the government wouldn’t be able to find it.” 

Yeosang hummed, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Seonghwa, right?” he asked, looking at the raven-haired man. “The mage from the bookstore?” 

Seonghwa nodded. “I think I ran into you in town the other day as well; sorry about that.”

_Fuck_. Hongjoong had been hoping that wouldn’t come up. He watched as the invisible lightbulb clicked on above the navigator’s head. 

“I thought you looked familiar, “ he drawled, shooting an amused look at his captain. “Don’t worry about it, I’m sure Hongjoong-hyung didn’t mind one bit.” 

_That’s it_ , Hongjoong growled silently. _He was going to kill Yeosang._

Seonghwa tilted his head inquisitively, but before he could say anything, Wooyoung (bless his impatient soul) interrupted with a question. 

“So what brings you to our ship this fine morning, Seonghwa?” he asked, curious eyes fixed on the mage. 

“That’s—well, the thing is—I—Hongjoong?” the mage turned to him with a panicked expression. 

_Right_ , the captain thought. _Best to be blunt_.

“As I recently discovered, the entrance to the Sanctuary can only be found by someone with the gift. Since no one on our crew posses such supernatural abilities, Seonghwa has kindly offered to be our guide to the illusive temple complex,” he explained, deciding to tear off the metaphorical bandage all at once. 

The silence that followed his declaration was filled with various reactions. Jongho, Wooyoung and Yunho looked more or less neutral. San and Yeosang seemed pleased about the news, Yeosang because he now had something else to tease Hongjoong about and San because he was a social creature who loved meeting new people. Mingi, on the other hand, was scowling, eyebrows set in an expression that spelled anger. 

“I understand that this might come as a shock to you,” Seonghwa spoke into the silence, voice gentle and calm, betraying none of his earlier doubts. “I hope we can get along for the few weeks I’ll be traveling with you.”  


“Don’t be so formal,” San chided, hoping over to throw an arm around Seonghwa’s neck. “We’ll become great friends, I’m sure!” 

His first-mate’s cheerful acceptance seems to melt some of the tension from Seonghwa. The mage relaxed into San’s hold, smiling tentatively.

Then Jongho, who’d been unusually quiet till this point, stepped forward. “Thanks for helping us,” he said, looking more like his typical outspoken-self. “I’m Jongho, I was at the tavern earlier.” When Seonghwa nodded at him in recognition, he continued with a grin. “Its great to have you on board.”

“He’s right, it’s very kind of you to offer to travel with us, Seonghwa.” It was the chestnut-haired boy who spoke next, grinning warmly at their newest crew member. “I’m Yunho, by the way, the ship’s medic.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Yunho,” Seonghwa replied, bowing his head in greeting.

“Are we doing introductions now?” Wooyoung interjected, smiling brightly. “Me next, me next!” 

He ran over to stand in front of Seonghwa, holding out a hand in mock formality. 

“I’m Wooyoung, I’m a Sagittarius and I like long walks on the beach,” he said with a wink, watching for the mage’s reaction. The crew rolled their eyes at his antics, but Seonghwa just looked amused, stepping out of San’s hold to shake hands with the lavender-haired boy.

“Nice to meet you,” he replied, lips quirking up into a smirk. “I’m Seonghwa, I’m an Aries and I like people who like long walks on the beach.” 

Wooyoung burst into laughter, a surprised sound that filled the early morning air. “I think we’ll get along just fine, Seonghwa,” he said, after his giggles had subsided. “It’s been so long since someone played along with me. Imagine all the pranks we could pull together!” 

The mage looked mildly surprised at the comment, but continued to smile softly at the master rigger. 

“Don’t corrupt him, “ Yeosang scolded, frowning at Wooyoung in mock anger. “We finally have someone on the ship who understands the importance of reading. Don’t tempt him with your troublemaking ways!”

“I’m Yeosang,” he continued, greeting the mage with a smile. “I can’t wait to pick your brain about the books you gave us.” 

“That sounds fun,” Seonghwa answered honestly, looking pleased. “I’ve brought some more with me, as well as some more accurate maps.”

Before Yeosang could respond, Mingi burst out suddenly, “Are you all just going to accept this? Don’t you think it’s a bit suspicious that a total stranger would agree to help a crew of pirates he doesn’t even know? What if it’s a trap?”

Hongjoong frowned in reproach as he saw how Seonghwa’s face lost its easy smile. Despite the anger in the quartermaster’s voice, the mage remained calm when he answered. “I understand that it might seem odd, but I promise you, I have no intentions of bringing harm to any of the crew,” he explained. “I just want to help you find your friends.”  


Mingi snorted in disbelief. “That’s ridiculous; why would you even care?”  
  
Seonghwa frowned. “Do I need a reason to help others? Can’t I just want to use my gift for good whenever possible?”

“No one just wants to help,” the quartermaster insisted, eyes glinting like cold steel. It was the look Hongjoong saw him wear into battle; seeing it now was startling. “What terrible crimes have you committed in the past that you feel the need to do so much penance?”

It seemed an odd thing to say, but it must have struck a nerve for Seonghwa. The mage looked gutted, distress printed clear across his face.

_That’s it,_ Hongjoong thought. _Enough was enough._

"Mingi," he barked, fixing his quartermaster with a stern gaze. “That was out of line. Whatever your personal grievances, on this ship we are a team. I expect you to act like it.” 

When Mingi simply continued to stare in insolent silence, Hongjoong felt his temper increase. “Apologize, now.”

“Hongjoong, it’s okay—” Seonghwa attempted to mediate, but the captain waved a hand and cut him off.  
  
“It’s not,” he insisted. “Have you forgotten that I’m the captain? I don’t care if you like my every decision, but you must respect them. Do I make myself clear?” He waited, starting down his quartermaster as the crew watched both of them with bated breath. 

It was unusual for one of his crew to be so needlessly belligerent. Hongjoong would talk to him later, ask him why he seemed to hate their newest member so much. Right now though, he needed Mingi to understand what he’d agreed to when he’d made the decision to sail under Hongjoong. As much as he needed and respected the advice of his crew members, he also needed their utmost and unwavering trust in the decisions he made. He couldn’t lead a faithless crew that didn’t believe in their captain. 

Across from him, the quartermaster appeared to be gritting his teeth, but he eventually bit out an agreement. 

Hongjoong nodded, anger abating slightly. “Good,” he said, rolling his shoulders to release the tension. “Then if there are no more objections…” he trailed off, looking around at the members gathered on the deck. No one spoke, and the orange-haired captain took the silence as agreement. 

“All right, then Jongho and Wooyoung, wake up the kids and get ready to cast off; we don’t have a moment to lose. Mingi, you’re on first watch.” He ignored the sounds of protest form the quartermaster. He knew that Mingi hated to be on watch because he couldn’t take the boredom of it, but maybe this would be a chance for him to cool off and consider his actions. Hongjoong could speak to him afterwards, clear up any misunderstandings.  
  
“San and Yeosang, you’re on the quarterdeck with me. Make sure we’re sailing in the right direction. Seonghwa—” he broke off, seeing the mage attempt to stifle a yawn. He felt his tone soften unconsciously. “Get some rest,” he said, watching the raven-haired man blink at him with tired eyes.  
  
“What about the navigation—” Seonghwa started to protest, but Hongjoong cut him off. 

“I’m sure we can manage for a few hours,” he reassured. “If you fall asleep on the job, what good is that? Yunho, show him to the sleeping quarters.”

The chestnut-haired pirate nodded his agreement, and gently grabbed the mage’s arm, leading him below decks. Seonghwa must have been truly exhausted because he followed the medic with only a token attempt at resistance.   
  
Hongjoong watched him go, then turned to the rest of the crew. “This is it,” he announced, wondering what the sea had in store for them ahead. “Let’s set sail.”


	7. Life at Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aurora had left the coastline behind and all that was visible was a vast expanse of cerulean blue stretching to the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Home is now behind you; the world is ahead.” ~ J.R.R Tolkien

_ Screaming.  _

_ It was all that he could hear, desperate cries that shattered the stillness of the night. The smoke stung his eyes and the bright glare of the flames painted everything blood-red.  _

_ Another explosion detonated somewhere to his left; Seonghwa ducked on instinct, the shrapnel scattering around him.  _

_ He knew he needed to move, to help the people still in the building but he was frozen, paralyzed where he stood. Before he could persuade himself to act, the heat from the fire intensified and a burst of light blinded him for a second.  _

_ When his vision adjusted, the flames had encircled him but all he could see were the bodies on the ground, their limbs twisted at awkward angles.  _

_ ‘No,’ he muttered, stumbling forward onto his knees. He ignored the blood that was pooling around him, seeping into his clothes, focusing on feeling for a pulse. _

_ Nothing.  _

_ He tried the next body; still nothing.  _

_ Seonghwa could feel the fire circling closer, moving with a mind of its own. The flames were close enough to burn him now, red-hot sparks stinging his exposed skin.  _

_ The smoke coiled in his lungs, choking him from the inside out. He struggled to draw breath, lightheaded from the lack of oxygen. He could feel his senses shutting down, mind on the edge of unconsciousness.  _

_ A blinding flash of light exploded into starbursts beneath his closing eyelids and Seonghwa awoke with a start. _

The mage bolted upright in his cot, heart racing and beads of sweat cooling on his forehead. The details of the dream were already fading from his brain, leaving him only with a lingering sense of terror. His hands were still trembling; the remnants of a nightmare his muscles remembered even if his mind forgot. He must have dreamed about the past again. It was bound to happen after the accusations of last night, but he’d still hoped otherwise.  


The mage shook himself. He didn’t have the time or energy to dwell on those memories. He had more important things to concern himself with. Rising from the small bed, Seonghwa made his way through the sleeping quarters and back onto the deck, squinting as he stepped into the bright light. He could see the sun had risen past its peak, which meant he’d managed to sleep for a few hours. 

The Aurora had left the coastline behind and all that was visible was a vast expanse of cerulean blue stretching to the horizon. The mage still felt tired and disoriented, but he suspected part of that was the feeling of being on the water again. He heard the forgotten sound of waves lapping against the sides of the ship and he could feel his body trying to reorient itself to compensate for the rocking of the vessel. He’d used to be able to cross a deck balancing a stack of books on his head without the slightest stumble, but three years spent on land had robbed him of that ease. His muscles would require some time to relearn what he’d forgotten during his absence from the seas. 

Just then, a cheerful voice interrupted his musings. “You must be the newest member of the crew! What’s your name? I heard you’re a mage; is it true? Could you show me some magic?”  
  
Seonghwa turned and saw a small figure approaching him from the starboard side of the ship. He had delicate features and platinum blond hair that glowed white in the sunlight. He was clutching a bundle of papers to his chest and had a feather quill tucked behind his ear. He had a large smile on his face as he stared expectantly at Seonghwa, who felt a little overwhelmed at the rapid-fire barrage of questions. 

“I’m Seonghwa,” he answered after a moment, voice hesitant. “I am a mage, that’s true. What’s your—”

Before he could finish his question, the boy’s eyes widened with delight and he squealed, rushing forward to grab at Seonghwa’s arm. “I’ve never met a mage before! What kind of magic can you do? How do your powers work? Do you have to chant a spell or wave a wand? Can you make something disappear? Or float? How about—”

“Chanhee! Let him breathe, he looks terrified,” a new voice called, emerging from the left-hand side door on the lower deck. The figure walked over to where Seonghwa stood, frozen in shock at the overenthusiastic welcome. 

Chanhee pouted, but did as he was told and took a few steps back from the mage. He frowned at the brown-haired man who’d joined them near the stairs. “I was just being nice,” he complained, voice petulant. “I’m sure he didn’t mind.”

“You were being a nuisance is what you were,” the brown-haired boy scolded, but his tone was fond. Then he turned to address Seonghwa with a gentle smile.“Don’t mind Chanhee, he’s over-excitable. Younghoon must have slipped some sugar into his coffee.” He held out his hand to the mage. “I’m Sangyeon, Aurora’s carpenter. Nice to meet you.”

Seonghwa shook the proffered hand, relaxing a little at the calm demeanour of the man in front of him. “Seonghwa,” he introduced himself. “Sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you last night.”  
  
Sangyeon grinned, a bright expression that made him look younger than his years. “I heard you caused quite the stir; it’s not often the quartermaster is the one being disciplined.”  
  
Seonghwa grimaced a little at the reminder of his less-than-optimal encounter with Mingi last night. “It wasn’t my intention to start a fight,” he promised, not wanting the crew to form a negative opinion of him from the start.

“Don’t worry, no one blames you,” Sangyeon assured. “Mingi-hyung is a little impulsive; he’ll cool down soon enough.”

“That’s great and all, but now can you show us some magic?” Chanhee interjected, looking at the mage with pleading eyes. “Please?”

“Chanhee!” Sangyeon chided, looking embarrassed. “Seonghwa is not here to entertain you with magic tricks.”

Seonghwa smiled. He could see that the boy had no ill-intentions; he was genuinely curious. Seonghwa supposed it wouldn’t hurt to indulge him, just this once. “Its fine,” he said. “What would you like to see?” he asked, turning to the blond-haired record-keeper.

“Anything!” the boy chirped, anticipation obvious in his gaze

Seonghwa closed his eyes and decided on a small spell to start, one of the first he’d ever learned. He lifted his hand, palm face up, in front of him and concentrated on the element he wanted to summon. His mind cleared and his senses opened up; he could hear the whispering of the wind, feel the sunlight around him and even taste the salt of the ocean air. The times he practiced his gift were when he felt most at peace, connected to the world around him. 

Seonghwa could feel it when the spark came to life; it was a rushing sensation in his blood that thrilled him more than words could describe. He could trace the path of the energy that flowed from his mind, down his arm and into the small fire that now blazed just above his open palm.

Chanhee stared at him with wide eyes. “That’s amazing,” he breathed. He leaned his head closer to get a better look at the fire. “Does it hurt?” he asked, hovering a finger near the flames.

“Careful,” Seonghwa warned, not wanting the child to hurt himself accidentally. “It doesn’t hurt me, but it will burn you if you touch it.”

Chanhee withdrew his hand, an alarmed expression on his face. Seonghwa closed his fist and extinguished the flame. During his demonstration, a few other members of the crew had gathered around him, all of them wearing an impressed look. The mage recognized Jongho among them, a young boy with grey-blue locks at his side. _That must be Eric_ , he guessed, _the gunner’s apprentice._

“Could you show us something else?” the blue-haired boy called, eyes bright with interest. 

Despite himself, Seonghwa felt a flutter of pride at the request. He’d spent his entire life hiding an essential part of himself from most of the world; it was liberating to be able to share his gift with those who wouldn’t condemn him for it.

He glanced at the people who’d gathered around. There were two other crew members he didn’t recognize, both of them tall with black hair. One of them was holding a ceramic cup cradled in his hands, wisps of steam escaping from the top. Seonghwa focused his gaze on the cup, lifting his hand in preparation. 

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the molecules of water he could sense, visualizing the shape and structure of each drop. He pictured the droplets changing form, condensing and bonding to one another, removing the space between them. With a snap of his fingers, the mage focused his energy and froze the liquid in the cup, turning the steaming beverage into a block of ice.

The black-haired boy yelped in surprise as his drink become ice-cold in his hands, peering into the cup with amazement. “It’s frozen,” he said, gawking at Seonghwa in surprise. The rest of the crew murmured in shock and jostled each other to get a look at the just-chilled treat. 

Seonghwa allowed himself a smile; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d used his magic for such a frivolous purpose. It felt nice to be so carefree in his actions. A tug at his sleeve interrupted his musings. 

“How did you do that?” Chanhee demanded, gazing at him with curiosity.

“Magic,” Seonghwa answered, eyes sparkling in amusement. He turned to look at the black-haired boy who was still clutching his now-frozen mug.  


“Sorry about that,” he apologized with a quick bow. “I should have asked before I turned your drink into a dessert.”

The boy laughed, joyful and bright. “Don’t worry about it,” he insisted. “This was meant for you actually. You slept through breakfast, so I thought I should bring you something. I’m Kevin, by the way.”

“The cook, right?” The mage thought he recognized the name from the brief introductions last night.

“The one-and-only!” Kevin grinned, looking pleased. “I see my reputation precedes me.”

Seonghwa chuckled, feeling at ease amongst the cheerful group. "I asked Hongjoong about all of you,” he explained. “I guess that makes you either Younghoon or Q,” he said, turning to the one person in the circle he’d yet to identify.

The black-haired boy nodded. “I’m Younghoon,” he introduced himself, posture poised and expression serene. He gestured to the main mast as he said, “Q’s the one with pink-hair; he’s usually up in the crow’s nest or the rigging.”

Seonghwa hummed in understanding, but before he could inquire further, Chanhee interrupted again with a question. "You call him Hongjoong?” he asked, voice incredulous.

Seonghwa hadn’t been aware that the captain preferred to be called by his title, but it made sense. Had he inadvertently offended him or overstepped some invisible line? The mage looked around at the gathered crew members. Most of them seemed more amused than concerned, but it was still best to seek clarification. 

“Should I not?” he asked, brows furrowed with unease. “He never corrected me, so I assumed—”

Before he could work himself into a panic, Sangyeon’s composed voice interjected. “No, no that’s fine,” he reassured, before turning to whisper at Chanhee. “Don’t meddle,” the carpenter hissed, tugging at the platinum-haired boy’s ear in reproach.

Chanhee yelped in pain. “I’m not, I’m not,” he squawked. “I just—”

Whatever he was doing, Seonghwa didn’t get a chance to find out because just then Wooyoung spoke from the crowd. “Are you kids bothering our newest member?” he asked, startling several of the crew members with his sudden appearance. “If he runs off because of you lot, the captain will have your head.” 

Kevin shot an anxious glance at the boatswain. “We were just welcoming him,” he assured, charming smile aimed in the master rigger’s direction.

Wooyoung did not look charmed, though his voice was laced with an undercurrent of amusement. “Hm,” he said, tone skeptical. "I can take the welcome from here, thanks.” He made a series of shooing gestures, as if to tell the kids to get back to work, then turned to address Seonghwa. "Yeosang wants a word about the maps,” he explained. 

“Of course,” Seonghwa acquiesced, eager to provide his assistance. “Where,,.?” 

“The infirmary,” Wooyoung replied, answering his unasked question. “As you can see with this bunch, it’s one of the only quiet places on the ship. Don’t worry, I’ll walk you there,” he continued, seeing the mage glance around in confusion. 

Seonghwa nodded his thanks and followed the lavender-haired pirate across the deck, walking carefully to maintain his balance. 

“The kids weren’t bothering you, were they?” Wooyoung asked, looking at him with concern. “You can tell them to buzz off; they won’t mind.”

“No, that’s all right,” Seonghwa reassured with a smile. “It was nice to be able to use my gift so freely,” he confided. “I’ve never had a chance to show non-mages what I can do.”

Wooyoung hummed in understanding as he led Seonghwa below deck, to a small room near the bow of the ship. The boatswain knocked carelessly on the door, opening it without waiting for a reply. 

The first thing that struck Seonghwa when he entered the cabin was the overwhelming smell of herbs. It reminded him of the apothecary’s store he used to frequent in Kader. He could see various glass bottles and jars of medicinal ingredients arranged neatly in small crates that littered the floor. There was a small cot shoved into one corner, with curtains that could be drawn around it for privacy. The back wall had a large table pushed against it that was littered with all kinds of parchments and books. Seonghwa spotted some of the materials he’d brought with him as well as several others that he couldn’t recognize. Standing at the table, looking through the papers with a serious gaze, was the golden-haired navigator he’d met yesterday: Yeosang.

The other man looked up as they entered the room, his gaze moving past Wooyoung to land on Seonghwa.

The mage tried for a smile, forcing himself to relax his stance. _This isn’t a confrontation_ , he reminded himself. _Just be friendly._

Fortunately, the navigator seemed inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, because he smiled back with genuine enthusiasm.

“Thanks for coming, “ he said, voice warm and inviting. “I hope we didn’t disturb your sleep.”

“Ah, no I was up anyway,” he reassured, running a nervous hand through his hair. “Wooyoung said you wanted to ask me about the maps?”

Yeosang turned to look at the master rigger, who’d abandoned Seonghwa by the door to make himself comfortable on the small cot. He was reclined lazily against the wall, playing with some small needlepoint daggers he’d apparently stashed on his person. 

The navigator tutted in disappointment, then returned his attention to the mage. “Yeah, I wanted to see if these directions I marked are correct,” he explained, gesturing to the papers spread across the desk. “I cross-referenced the maps you brought with our own charts and I think I’ve got a decent idea of the island’s location, but its probably better if you double-check.”

“Sure,” Seonghwa acquiesced, striding over to the desk. He leafed through the pages of meticulous research, impressed with the navigator’s attention to detail. 

“Captain mentioned your theory on the lost compass,” Yeosang said conversationally, as he watched Seonghwa flip through the numerous maps.The mage listened with some concern, wondering what the navigator thought of his idea. 

“I’d never heard of that particular version of the legend before,”Yeosang continued, “but I checked our library and found an old diary entry that mentions an old temple in connection to the search for Utopia. I think you had the right idea about why the Black Swan went to the Sanctuary.”

Seonghwa looked at him in surprise. “Oh,” he said, voice coloured with shock. “Well, I’m not a hundred-percent sure, its just a theory,” he clarified, not wanting to give the crew false hope. 

“It’s still a solid lead,” Yeosang pointed out, “which is more than we had before. I know we’re all grateful for that, especially the captain.” 

“Did he say something about me?” Seonghwa couldn’t help but ask, curiosity overriding his worries about being polite.

“He mentioned that you ran away from home,” Wooyoung interjected, looking over with curious eyes. “What’s the deal with that?”

“Wooyoung!” The navigator cried, exasperation evident in his tone. “I’m sorry, we’re working on his manners.”

“Its fine,” Seonghwa replied, though his muscles tensed instinctively at the mention of his family. “There were a lot of reasons, I suppose. My parents and I didn’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things.”

“Like what?” Wooyoung asked inquisitively. 

Seonghwa hesitated. He didn’t want to lie, but he knew there was a limit to what he could share. “Like what I should do with my life,” he answered after a moment, deciding on a partial truth. “They wanted me to get married to someone I’d never met before, a political arrangement. I was eighteen and impulsive, so when I found out, I left town and cut off all ties. I haven’t spoken to them since.”

There had in fact been talks of an arranged marriage, with the daughter of a business conglomerate, but at the time it had been the least of his worries. Still, he figured it was enough of the truth to share without revealing the more _incriminating_ aspects of his past. 

Wooyoung started laughing, which jolted Seonghwa out of his thoughts. “I guess that’s probably not very serious compared to what others might have gone through but—”

The lavender-haired pirate waved him off as he continued giggling. “No, that’s not it,” he assured. “It’s just you have more in common with Yeosang than I thought. He ran away because of an arranged marriage too.”

The golden-haired navigator shifted his gaze to the left for a second, then commented dryly. “The Kang name will die out with me now, I suppose. I was an only child.”

Seonghwa’s eyes widened in surprise; that was a name that was familiar to him. “Kang— you’re Kang Yeosang?” 

The navigator’s lips twisted into a frown as he replied. “Unfortunately,” he confirmed.

“I—I went to a party at your house once,” Seonghwa explained, voice full of disbelief. “It was a long time ago, when I was just a child.”

Wooyoung looked similarly surprised. “You’ve seen the mansion?”  


“Well, not much of it,” Seonghwa admitted, thinking back to the events of that night. “I spent most of the party sitting outside in the garden. There was a child who was hiding in the rose bushes so I offered to keep him company. We spent the evening star gazing and telling each other stories of—”

“—the legends behind each constellation,” Yeosang finished his sentence, blinking at him with a bewildered gaze. “That was you?” 

The mage couldn’t believe what he was hearing; it seemed he was destined to meet more than one familiar face on this voyage. “I can’t believe it! I guess we never introduced ourselves that night.”

“It was most likely a deliberate attempt at misdirection on my part,” Yeosang declared with a wry smile. “I wanted very little to do with the family name, even at that age.”

Seonghwa understood immediately. “I assure you, I had no more interest in the politics than you,” he promised. “I was just glad to find pleasant company that evening.”

The navigator smiled more honestly. “Me too,” he said. “Do you know, you were the only genuine person I’d ever met from those parties?”

From what Seonghwa remembered of his childhood interactions with the upper-class, that seemed fitting. “Knowing what I know about those kinds of parties, that doesn’t surprise me,” he responded. 

Yeosang still looked a little shocked, shaking his head in awe. “Small world, isn’t it?”

“Infinitesimal,” the raven-haired mage replied, with a pleased quirk of his lips. He couldn’t quite believe this turn of events either; he hadn’t expected to meet anyone from his past. “I can’t believe I’m meeting you again, after all these years. On a pirate ship, no less.”

“I can think of worse places to be,” the navigator said, an undercurrent of darkness to his words. The mage wondered if there was more to his story than he had shared, but decided it wasn’t his place to ask. 

Wooyoung shot the navigator a concerned look, but the golden-haired pirate avoided his gaze.“I was looking through the books you brought,” he said, an obvious attempt to change the subject. “I’ve never seen some of these texts before.”  
  
Seonghwa frowned, but allowed the deflection. “Sometimes mages come to our shop for advice or help; they don’t always have gold on them, so we trade materials instead. That one was bargained for an old spell-book, I think.”

“That’s clever,” Yeosang said, looking intrigued. “I’ve wondered about the practices of the magical community; there isn’t a lot of written information on the subject.”

“It’s a limited field,” Seonghwa admitted. “Most people who research mages are more interested in the application of our powers as opposed to our traditions and rituals.” 

Before Yeosang could respond, Wooyoung stood from the cot with a theatrical sigh. “Well, looks like I’m no longer needed,” he complained, making his way out of the medic’s cabin. “I’ll leave the two of you to your books. Remember to come outside for fresh air once in a while, okay?” 

Seonghwa waved a hand in farewell, amused at the boatswain’s theatrics. He turned back to Yeosang, noting with some surprise how the navigator’s eyes followed the lavender-haired pirate’s form till he was out of sight. The look in his eyes was something complicated, a mixture of longing and resignation. 

_Interesting._

Seonghwa cleared his throat quietly, watching the golden-haired navigator startle at the sound. He turned back to the maps with a light flush, as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. 

The mage filed the information in his mind, opting not to mention his observations. Instead, he gestured to the pile of papers and charts on the desk, pointing out the discrepancies he’d noted in the calculations. 

The navigator flashed him a grateful look, before moving to retrieve some ink and quills from a crate on the floor. The two of them worked on the maps in silence, exchanging suggestions and ideas. 

It was the most peaceful afternoon Seonghwa’d had in a while. If this was an omen for the rest of his trip, the future looked promising. 

…

Hongjoong stood at the helm, gripping the wheel with bruising force. It had been hours since Seonghwa had disappeared below decks and he’d yet to emerge. 

_How long could it take to check a few maps?_

He could feel San hovering nearby, an amused smirk on his face. Hongjoong sighed; best to nip this in the bud.  


“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t,” he warned, not taking his eyes off the horizon. 

“I wasn’t thinking anything!” his first-mate protested, mock offence evident in his voice. “It just seems like I haven’t seen our resident mage in a while; is he still with Yeosang?”

Hongjoong turned to glare at the black-haired pirate, who had an innocent look on his face.  "I suppose so,” he gritted out. 

_It was a good thing_ , he reminded himself. _If the mage was making friends on the crew, that was a good thing. Even if that meant he had no time for Hongjoong._

"Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed,” his first-mate chided, looking far too invested for his own good. 

“I haven’t,” he said, making an attempt at being casual. From San’s responding snort, he guessed that it hadn’t worked. 

“And I actually read all the books Namjoon told me to,” his first mate quipped, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “As if, hyung.”

Hongjoong bit down on his tongue, attempting to curb his temper. “I haven’t, okay?” he insisted, unsure who he was trying to convince.

San was quiet for a minute. “It’s not a bad thing, you know” he said finally, voice more serious than it had been a moment ago. “To notice him. I haven’t seen you look at someone that way in… well, ever.”

Hongjoong closed his eyes. Sometimes he wished his crew wasn’t able to read him so well. “I don’t look at him any way,” he said, stubborn till the end. 

San sighed, sounding weary. “Okay hyung, sure,” he agreed, exasperation evident in his voice. “Live in denial. Moving on, are you going to talk to Mingi?”

The captain frowned. “I should,” he admitted, thinking with regret of the tense atmosphere of the previous night. He hated being at odds with his crew; it nagged at him like a persistent itch he couldn’t get rid of. “Is he still up in the crow’s nest?”

“Last I saw,” San confirmed.

“All right,” he said, turning to address his first-mate. “Can you take the helm for a bit?”

San smiled, hopping over to take the wheel. “You got it,” he said, with a cheerful salute.

Hongjoong nodded at him in thanks, making his way to the main mast’s rigging. He looked up with a sigh. He wasn’t _afraid_ of heights per-say, but he didn’t enjoy them as much as some of the younger members of his crew seemed to. 

Reaching out a hand, he gripped the indentations carved into the mast that served as a makeshift ladder. Taking a breath, he heaved himself up and began the ascent, reminding himself ever so often not to look down.

It took a few minutes, but he made it to the crow’s nest without injuring himself, which he counted as a win. Climbing onto the circular platform, his gaze locked on Mingi’s sullen form curled up on the opposite edge. The quartermaster didn’t look up as he walked over, eyes fixed on the horizon in silent protest. 

Hongjoong shook his head with a sigh. He plopped himself onto the ground, sitting cross legged beside his sulking crew member. He waited for the black-haired pirate to acknowledge him, knowing that Mingi wouldn’t be able to take the silence for much longer.  


Sure enough, not even a minute had passed before the quartermaster addressed him with a despondent voice. “Here to lecture me again, Captain?” he questioned, insolent tone making the formal address more mocking than respectful. 

Hongjoong sighed for what felt like the millionth time. “Claws away, Mingi,” he said, feeling drained. He didn’t have the energy in him for another fight. “I apologize for pulling rank earlier; I’m here as your friend now, not as your captain.”

Mingi snorted, anger evident in the wordless gesture. He still didn’t turn to look at the captain, keeping his gaze fixed on some point in the distance.

“Come on, talk to me,” Hongjoong cajoled, letting a hint of pleading slip into his voice. “I know you don’t like strangers, but that was unprecedented. Why do you hate him so much?” 

His quartermaster exhaled a breath, then replied with reluctance, “I don’t hate him.”

“Could have fooled me,” Hongjoong muttered under his breath, thinking of the other’s aggressive words last night.

Mingi fidgeted in his spot, wringing his hands together as he tried to think of the words to explain his thoughts. “I just—I just don’t trust him,” he said after a moment. “I think he’s hiding something.” 

“I know,” the captain admitted, his words causing the black-haired pirate to turn to him in surprise. 

“What?” he exclaimed, looking at the captain as though he’d lost his mind.

Hongjoong rolled his eyes at the blatant surprise on the other man’s face. “Contrary to what San would have you believe, I’m not actually a fool,” he complained. “I don’t think he’s been completely honest about his past,” the orange-haired pirate continued.

“Then…” the quartermaster trailed off, looking confused. 

“Come on, Mingi. Who amongst us has a spotless record? Whatever he’s done in the past, that’s not our business,” he explained. “What is important is that he’s willing to help us, even though he’s not obligated to.” 

Mingi frowned, still not convinced. “You seem to trust him a lot—even though he’s just a stranger. Why?”

Hongjoong sighed; he didn’t know the answer to that question either. How could he put into words the strange connection he felt with the raven-haired mage, the odd sense of rightness he felt when the other man stepped onto the ship? He tried to explain as much as he could without sounding insane. “Look, from what I’ve seen of him so far, Seonghwa seems genuine. Whatever secrets he’s hiding, I don’t think he has bad intentions.” 

It was silent for a few minutes as Mingi digested his captain’s words. “I guess,” he admitted finally, reluctance evident in his tone.

“I’m not asking you to be best friends with him,” Hongjoong promised, not wanting to push the quartermaster too far out of his comfort zone. “Just give him a chance, all right? For me,” he added. 

Mingi huffed, looking exasperated. “When you put it like that, I don’t have a choice, do I?” he said, then continued before the captain could protest. “I’ll give him a chance.” 

“Thank you,” Hongjoong breathed, unable to hide the relief in his voice. "Are we good?” 

Mingi smiled, slinging an arm around his shoulder. “We’re good,” he promised, voice cheerful once more.

Hongjoong grinned; he couldn’t imagine being at odds with the quartermaster for much longer. The black-haired pirate was all sunshine-smiles and good-natured teasing; he brought a sense of lightness to their ship that vanished when he was in a mood. “Then I officially relieve you of watch duty,” he chirped, voice bright. “Let’s go get some dinner.” 

He followed Mingi down the main mast, cursing under his breath the whole time while the other pirate laughed at his plight. Hongjoong wasn’t _afraid_ , he was just being cautious but his crew members didn’t seem to agree…

Once his feet were back on solid ground (so to speak), he breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Captain!” a cheerful voice called, stopping him in his tracks. “Have you seen Yeosang?”

It was Wooyoung, the lavender-haired pirate attached at the hip with San, as per usual. The two of them were coming down the steps from the quarterdeck, hands intertwined between them.

“No,” Hongjoong said, not having seen the navigator since that morning. “I think he’s still with Seonghwa in the medic’s cabin.”  


“Still? I left them there hours ago,” Wooyoung complained, though his tone made it clear he wasn’t really shocked.  


“You know how Yeosang gets,” he said, exasperated but fond. “Someone should go get them.”

Hongjoong tried to make sure everyone was present at mealtimes, so that the crew members could spend some time with each other in a large group, but he couldn’t pretend he wasn’t occasionally guilty of missing some himself when he got tied up in his compositions or an interesting book.  


“I’ll go,” San offered, brushing a light kiss to Wooyoung’s cheek before he made his way below decks. 

Hongjoong and Mingi exchanged a knowing glance; the lavender-haired pirate was bright red, blushing to the tips of his ears. The captain had half a mind to tease him, but decided against it upon seeing his master rigger’s smitten face. He was glad the two of them had found each other; it seemed like both of them were happier for it. 

Instead, he just threw a companionable arm over the shorter man’s shoulders and the three pirates continued into the dining hall. 

…

Seonghwa blinked in surprise as he climbed up onto the deck; the sun had started to sink beneath the horizon, painting the waves in hues of orange and red that made the water seem like it was burning. He couldn’t believe he’d spent the entire afternoon below decks; it hadn’t even felt like an hour had passed. 

The navigator seemed less thrown off-balance at the length of their research time. He confided to Seonghwa that he had a tendency of forgetting to take breaks for things like food and water when he was working on a project. 

The three of them entered the dining hall, which was divided into two sections. The back half was furnished as a makeshift kitchen with barrels stacked on the floor and large iron pots hanging on the walls. Closer to the door, three large wooden tables were placed in a row, with comfortable looking benches on either side. 

Seonghwa could see that most of the crew sat at the various tables, including the captain, his orange-hair making him stand out in the crowd. He wondered if he should go over to him, but before he could make up his mind, a cheerful voice beckoned from the leftmost table. 

“Seonghwa-hyung!” the platinum-haired pirate, _Chanhee,_ called. “Come sit with us!”  


The mage turned to look at Yeosang uncertainly. He wasn’t sure if there was a seating arrangement in the hall, but the golden-haired navigator just looked amused. 

“Go on,” he said with a laugh. “We don’t mind.” 

Seonghwa nodded, then walked around to where the record-keeper was sitting. The cheerful pirate pulled him down as soon he got within reaching distance, and Seonghwa collapsed onto the bench with a surprised laugh. 

The blond-haired pirate immediately took charge of the introductions, gesturing to the people sitting around the table with an imperious air. 

“You know Kevin and Younghoon already,” he chirped, looking thoughtful. “This is Q, our lookout,” he continued, gesturing at the pink-haired pirate sitting across from him.

“Nice to meet you,” Seonghwa said, nodding at him. The pink-haired pirate just smiled back, a hint of guardedness in his gaze. Seonghwa didn’t want to push him, turning his attention instead to the other members sitting at the table. As far as he could see, the others all seemed to be younger than him, faces still round-cheeked with the shape of youth. 

On the table, there were plates laid out for each of them; hard slices of bread topped with something that smelled like pickled fish. It was a familiar sight, one he’d become well accustomed to in the past. Seonghwa took a cautious bite, the taste of salt and spice mingling on his tongue. Surprised, he took another larger bite and hummed in pleasure. The tang of the pickle balanced well with the fresh bread, making for a flavourful dish. 

He looked at the chefs with genuine excitement; he hadn’t expected the food on a ship to taste this good. Seonghwa said as much to the black-haired pirates sitting at the table, smiling as Kevin preened under the praise.

The rest of the dinner continued in a relaxed manner, Seonghwa content to remain quiet and observe the cheerful banter of his table-mates. The four of them seemed well acquainted with each other, trading quips and inside jokes with the comfortable manner of long-standing friends. Once the food had been demolished and the dishes cleared, the pirates ambled out onto the main deck.

Seonghwa followed the kids out, looking around the deck with what he hoped was a casual air. He could see most of the crew heading to the sleeping quarters, but the bright orange-hair of the captain was conspicuously missing from sight. 

“Seonghwa-hyung,” Chanhee called, drawing his attention. “We’re going to hang out below-decks; why don’t you come with us?” 

The mage hesitated. He’d wanted to see if he could find Hongjoong after dinner, but the blond-haired pirate looked too expectant to refuse. 

“Don’t you need someone to take watch?” he asked instead, trying to escape without making it obvious.

“Q’s on duty tonight,” Chanhee said, pointing at the pink-haired pirate who’d already left for the main mast. “I really wanted to show you this cool card-game,” the blond-haired pirate continued, looking at him with wide, pleading eyes. “Please, please, pleeeeeeese—-“

“All right, all right, I’ll come with you!” Seonghwa agreed, not wanting the young pirate to continue his whining. 

“Awesome!” Chanhee grinned, throwing his hands in the air. He grabbed Seonghwa’s arm and began to pull him in the direction of their sleeping quarters, calling for the others to follow him with an impatient voice.   
  
Bemused, Seonghwa allowed the pirate to drag him along, making startled eye contact with Yeosang as he passed. The navigator looked far too amused at Seonghwa’s plight, waving a cheerful hand in farewell and mouthing something that looked like… ‘Good luck?’

Despite the navigator’s warnings, Seonghwa spent the next hour playing an enjoyable but confusing game that involved far more shouting than he thought entirely necessary. The younger members of the crew had all crowded around the floor below decks, pulling out cards and coins to partake in a staggering number of bets. Even Yeosang, Wooyoung and San joined in for a short while when the three of them came below-decks, although the navigator was quickly banned from playing when he started winning every round. 

Eventually, the games were all put away and the kids were convinced to go to sleep. The room was left in silence, with only the occasional snores of the sleeping crew members. 

Seonghwa glanced at the bed he'd been given with unease; he didn’t particularly want to go to sleep but he knew he couldn’t sustain himself on magic and willpower alone. He would eventually become so tired, he’d pass out. It had happened before.

If he tried to grab a few hours now, he could manage till tomorrow. Small catnaps were a temporary solution, but it was better than nothing.

He wasn't sure how long he'd slept before the dreams woke him, nightmare memories come back to haunt him. Seonghwa sat bolt upright in the bunk, choking and clawing at his own throat. His muscles were tensed with adrenaline, the heat of phantom flames burning his skin.

For a moment the past was a tangible thing, real horrors escaped from his mind into his life.

Seonghwa forced himself to take a deep breath; the air he drew into his lungs was cool, not a hint of smoke or ash.

The illusion faded and all that was left was the quiet of a sleeping room and the nauseating stench of his own fear. He forced himself up from the bed; perhaps the fresh air on the deck would clear his mind.

Making his way up the stairs, he was surprised to see another figure silhouetted in the night. He smiled to himself; the captain looked as ethereal as ever in the moonlight. He walked up onto the quarterdeck, approaching the orange-haired pirate at the wheel. “Taking the night shift?” 

Hongjoong hummed, keeping his gaze on the ocean as he answered. “Something like that,” he replied, then asked a question of his own. “Why are you still up?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Seonghwa said, another half-truth. 

The captain paused. After a brief silence, he said carefully, “Nightmares?”

Seonghwa hesitated, then nodded in confirmation. The captain hummed, but didn’t push the subject, as if he sensed that the mage didn’t want to talk about it. 

“How was your first day on the ship?” he asked instead, turning the conversation to a more neutral topic. 

“Interesting,” Seonghwa replied, finding that word best suited to sum his experiences thus far. “The crew all seem kind.”

“They’re good kids,” Hongjoong agreed with a smile, then continued, “I heard you impressed them with your magic.” 

Seonghwa ducked his head; it still felt odd to be complimented on his gift. “It wasn’t much,” he demurred. "Those were more parlour tricks than proper spell-work.”

The captain hummed, looking thoughtful. “If you don’t mind me asking, how do your powers work? That is, can every mage do the same things?”

“Yes and no,” Seonghwa explained, taking a moment to organize his thoughts. The intricacies of magical theory were complex, but he could outline the basics. “At our core, mages tap into the energy that already exists in the universe. We can bend and manipulate that energy to a certain extent; that’s a basic power that all mages have.” 

He paused, letting the orange-haired pirate absorb that information. “How we manifest that power varies a little,” he continued. “Each mage has an affinity: some are elementalists, some are illusionists, some are healers. There are a number of disciplines, but theoretically a talented mage could work almost any spell.” 

“Is it—” Hongjoong stopped, looking hesitant. “Can I ask what your speciality is?”

“I’m an elementalist. That means I focus on manipulating the forces of nature; fire, water, earth, air. Those spells come easiest to me.” 

To demonstrate, Seonghwa sparked a small flame above his open palm, the same trick he’d used earlier with the kids. Despite the simple nature of the spell, Hongjoong looked impressed, mouth open in surprise.

“That’s incredible,” he breathed, staring at Seonghwa with molten eyes that sparkled in the firelight. The raven-haired mage swallowed, aware of the stillness of the night around them. He extinguished the flame and took a step back, hoping some distance would help clear his head.

If the captain noticed his sudden strange behaviour, he didn’t comment. Instead, he asked Seonghwa about his newly-discovered connection to Yeosang, and the mage obliged him with a series of lighthearted tales from that time in his childhood, describing the extravagant parties attended by all manner of affluent people. He detailed the banquets with over-the-top decorations and ridiculous customs, delighting in the occasional laughs his stories drew from the captain. 

From there, the conversation between them ebbed and flowed like gentle tides, shifting from one topic to another with ease. The captain told him his own stories of growing up on a pirate ship, sharing some of the more reckless escapades that he'd gotten into as a child. It felt like mere minutes, but b y the time Seonghwa retreated below decks to snatch a few more hours of sleep, it was well into the early hours of the morning.

He made his way down the stairs carefully, a foreign warmth blooming in his chest. He laid his head down on the pillow, sleep tugging at the edges of his mind. This time Seonghwa didn’t fight it, comforted by the lingering image of the captain’s smile. His last conscious thought was that perhaps there would be no more nightmares tonight.


	8. A Mage's Weapons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the silence before a battle, the silence that forewarned chaos. It was a silence that Seonghwa knew well. He told himself he didn’t miss it, that he’d left the violence of his past behind, but some part of him still longed for the rush of adrenaline that came with the fight. He tried not to think about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “He who strikes the first blow admits he’s lost the argument.” ~ Proverb

Over the next week, Seonghwa found himself settling into something of a routine on the Aurora. His morning were spent with Yeosang, pouring through pages and pages of old texts together. It was peaceful work for the most part, but it yielded little in terms of new knowledge. 

The afternoons were spent on the rigging; Seonghwa had offered to take watch once in a while and most of the crew leapt at the chance to avoid the onerous job. The mage didn’t mind it too much. He found the crow’s nest a quiet place to sit with his thoughts, a little respite from the chaos of the rest of the ship. He was more often than not accompanied by Q; the pink-haired lookout seemed to spend most of his time on the rigging. The two of them spent their shifts in silence, and Seonghwa got the feeling that the other pirate was still deciding what to make of him. 

The rest of the crew seemed to have no such hesitations; Seonghwa found himself beset by the younger members most evenings, either talked into joining their card games or entertaining them with magic tricks and stories of his aristocratic childhood. It was comfortable in a way he hadn’t expected, and he found himself overwhelmed with their easy acceptance at times. 

Even Mingi didn’t bother him, although he didn’t warm up to him either. After that first encounter, he and the quartermaster had reached something of an unspoken truce, wherein the two parties avoided each other as much as possible. When their paths crossed, the mage did his best to appear as calm and non-confrontational as possible, though he wasn’t sure how much of a difference it made to the other man. 

It was the evening of their seventh day when the tension finally came to a head. The skies were clouded over, a restlessness brewing in the air. Seonghwa could feel the electric charge of a storm approaching, so he kept one eye on the weather as he climbed up the ropes, stowing the sails to protect against strong winds. 

He was just finishing the main mast, when he heard his name being called from below. He looked down to see Jongho, the master gunner waving an arm at him impatiently. The raven-haired mage frowned, wondering what the commotion was about. 

“Is everything all right?” he called, jumping down onto the deck and heading over to where the chestnut-haired pirate was standing with a large wooden crate at his feet. 

“Just fine,” Jongho promised, and Seonghwa felt tension he hadn’t even noticed drain out of his shoulders. “Captain thinks we’re about to make land soon, so he’s instructed me to get you set up with a weapon,” he explained, looking pleased at the prospect. “Do you have a preference?”  


Seonghwa hesitated. In the past, he’d trained with both a broadsword and a cutlass, using whichever was available at the time. The mage didn’t particularly favour one over the other; he’d always hated close range combat. He’d never been able to detach himself enough to fight without remorse, a dangerous flaw in a soldier. 

Seonghwa considered for a minute; perhaps a long-range weapon would suit him better. “Do you have a bow? Or a pistol?”

Jongho looked surprised at his choice. “I think I have a pair of throwing knifes; would that work?”  
  
“That’s perfect,” Seonghwa said, thinking of ways to incorporate the blades with his magic. _Perhaps a binding spell…_

The master gunner knelt to rummage through the wooden chest that he’d brought with him onto the deck. He straightened back up with a triumphant sounding noise. In his hand was clutched a pair of ornate silver daggers, each around half the length of his forearm. The blades looked sleek and lethal, runes etched into the metal on either side.

Seonghwa inhaled in surprise. “These are mage’s weapons,” he breathed, looking up at the master gunner in shock. “Where on earth did you get them?”

Jongho handed him the pair with a slight frown. “We’ve had these for a while; recovered them from a merchant’s mansion,” he explained, staring at the knives in contemplation. “What do you mean, ‘mage’s weapons?’”

Seonghwa ran a finger along the edge with reverence, tracing the outline of the various runes he could see etched into the metal. It must have taken an astonishing amount of time to hand carve each sigil with such precision; these blades were one of a kind.

The mage adjusted his grip on the handles, testing the fit in his hands. “See the runes on the blade? Those sigils can be activated with a mage’s gift,” he explained, taking an experimental swipe in the air. “The workmanship on this pair is exquisite; not just anyone can etch these kind of marks. It requires a lot of patience and dedication.” 

“How does it work? Do the runes enhance your strength or…?”

“Stand back,” he advised, moving to an area of the deck that was clear of people. Closing his eyes, Seonghwa pushed a strand of his own magic towards the runes on the dagger, grinning when he felt them light up in response. He tried increasing the power a little, visualizing a tether between his own magic and the sigils on the daggers; when one was activated, the other should respond in turn. 

He faced the main mast, conjuring up a small wooden target board with a flick of his fingers. It was a simple spell, one that required little effort from him, but it garnered an impressed reaction from the crew nonetheless. 

Turning the grip over in his hand, Seonghwa adjusted his fingers around the handle until the fit felt comfortable enough. Drawing his arm back, he stared at the conjured target on the wooden mast some fifteen feet in front of him. With a quick, sharp movement of his arm, he released the knife, staring as it rotated in the air before sinking straight into the middle circle on the target. Seonghwa heard the startled applause of the members around him, and stifled a smile. He supposed it looked quite impressive, but he’d had to make harder shots than that in the past. 

_This wasn’t difficult with his level of training_ , he mused. _Perhaps he could make things more interesting…_

He shifted the next dagger from his left hand to his right, adjusting his grip and stance before drawing his arm back. This time, he concentrated on one of the runes he remembered seeing on the edge of the knife’s blade, reaching out mentally to activate it with his magic. He knew that it had worked when he released the second dagger from his hand and the length of the blade burst into flames, drawing startled shouts from the pirates watching. The fire was short-lived, sputtering out as the blade landed in the wooden target, a hairsbreadth distance from the first.

“That is a mage’s weapon,” he announced, turning to face the crew. The pirates looked at him with wide-eyed expressions of shock; he supposed it could be a bit shocking to those who weren’t familiar with this kind of thing. 

Taking in the stunned looks of the crew around him, he suppressed a smile. Walking over the main mast, he pulled the blades out of the wood and tested his grip once more. “The balance is a bit off,” he admitted, “but I can compensate for that.” 

From across the deck, he heard a snort. “Overconfident, much?”

Seonghwa, and the rest of the crew, turned to see the black-haired quartermaster leaning against the foremast. He had a calculating expression on his face, as if he wanted to provoke the mage into anger. 

Yeosang stepped forward from where he’d been standing off to the side, a warning note in his voice. “Mingi—”

“All this flash is fine,” the black-haired pirate continued, eyes cold and unforgiving. “I don’t suppose it will do you much good in a real fight. You’d just be slowing us down.”

Eric and Sangyeon, who’d been standing on the deck in silence till then, looked between the two parties with both interest and apprehension.

“I’m sure I’d be able to hold my own,” Seonghwa replied, attempting to keep his voice even. He knew he couldn’t let the quartermaster bait him into a fight; that wouldn’t end well for anyone involved. 

_Control,_ he reminded himself. _You need to remain in control of your emotions. Don’t get worked up._

It was easier said than done, especially when faced with the condescending expression on the other man’s face. “Go on, then,” he provoked. “If you’re as good as you say you are; prove it.”  


“Seonghwa, you don’t have to do anything of the sort.” It was Jongho who spoke this time, eyes wide with alarm. “Mingi, this is ridiculous.”  


For all his peaceful nature, the mage knew he had a vicious competitive streak. He narrowed his eyes, then said with precision, “What do you suggest?” 

Yeosang looked apoplectic.“Seonghwa, don’t encourage him!” 

Mingi smiled, like he’d gotten the answer he’d been waiting for. “A duel; right here, right now,” he said, pointing at the deck. “If I win, you have to tell us whatever secret it is that you’re hiding about your past.”  


Seonghwa swallowed; he wondered how much the quartermaster knew, or suspected about his past. “And if I win?”  


The black-haired pirate shrugged without care, as if he didn’t expect that to be possible. “I’ll apologize for mistrusting you.”  


Seonghwa considered. He knew this was a bad idea, but something in his bones urged him forward. Perhaps this would bring an end to the ridiculous tension between the two of them, one way or another. 

Next to him, Yeosang made an inarticulate noise of frustration. “Don’t tell me you neanderthals are considering this!”

The mage ignored him, looking at the quartermaster who met his gaze with determination, a silent challenge. He stepped forward, spinning the daggers in his hand. “Till first blood?”  
  
“Of course,” Mingi replied, arching an eyebrow as if that were obvious.

Jongho stepped between them, looking frantic. “Seonghwa, stop it, what are you doing? Mingi—”  


Seonghwa maneuvered around the master gunner, stretching out a hand to the quartermaster. “I accept your terms.”

Mingi smiled, slow and calculating. It was a smile that said he’d seen the outcome of this confrontation, and he liked it. The black-haired pirate shook his hand with a tight grip, neither of them giving ground. It was a battle before the blades had even been drawn. 

The crew around them was still, exchanging wide-eyed looks. Seonghwa thought he saw coins switch hands too, but he tried not to dwell on that. He knew that if he didn’t start the fight right now, his better senses would return and he’d call the whole thing off. 

“I’m not watching this!” Yeosang shouted, looking like he was going to tear his hair out in frustration. He stomped below decks, leaving a tense silence in his wake.

It was the silence before a battle, the silence that forewarned chaos. It was a silence that Seonghwa knew well. He told himself he didn’t miss it, that he’d left the violence of his past behind, but some part of him still longed for the rush of adrenaline that came with the fight. He tried not to think about it.

He and Mingi both took a few steps back and faced each other with weapons drawn. Seonghwa had his newly acquired twin blades, one in each hand. The quartermaster had a wicked looking cutlass, the leather on the grip weathered and worn. It was a sword that had seen multiple battles and come out the other side unscathed; for the first time, the mage felt a frisson of doubt creep into his mind. He’d estimated his old skills to be enough to win this battle, but he was years out of practise and these were new weapons still unfamiliar to him; perhaps he should have been more cautious. 

He exhaled; it was too late now for regrets. He met the quartermaster’s narrowed gaze, and took a tentative step forward, right arm half raised in front of his torso. He kept his left arm down, waiting to see what move the pirate would make.

Mingi tensed, stepping backwards to maintain the distance between them. There was a moment of anticipation; neither side seemed inclined to attack first. The two of them circled each other with careful steps, muscles coiled tight and poised for attack. 

After a few minutes of tensed silence, it was Mingi who made the first move. With a movement so fast he almost missed it, the quartermaster stepped forward and swung his cutlass in a clean arch, aimed straight for the mage’s chest. 

For one treacherous moment, Seonghwa found himself frozen on the spot; he’d always been a cautious fighter, and it showed in his hesitation. Then the split second passed and it was like his old training kicked in, forgotten reflexes bending his torso backwards under the blade and keeping his legs stable on the deck. He waited till the sword finished its arc and snapped upwards, using the momentum to aim a sharp strike at the other man’s torso. 

Mingi blocked his jab with ease, stepping to the side and allowing the long range of his sabre to cover him. Forgotten advice came back to him; when you have a short range weapon, step in to close the distance. 

Seonghwa twisted and lunged, closing the distance between them and swinging his right hand upwards in a feint. Mingi took the bait, bringing his sword forward to block the attack and leaving his middle open. Seonghwa didn’t wait, taking the advantage and slashing outwards with the dagger in his left hand. It should have worked, but the quartermaster seemed to see the attack coming and jumped backwards, clearing the point of the knife by mere centimetres.

The mage was breathing hard now, sweat trickling down his brow. He’d forgotten the thrill of the fight, the adrenaline rush of metal scraping past skin. It was exhilarating when the stakes were just his wounded pride; he suspected he’d like the battle less when it was fought with lives on the line. 

The quartermaster seemed enraged now, caution forgotten in his desire to win. He didn’t give a moment’s respite, lunging forward to bring the sabre down on the mage’s head. 

His daggers seemed to react before his mind could process the attack, right hand coming up in front of him to stop the blow. Their blades locked and the clang of metal on metal echoed on the deck, grating against his ears. The quartermaster gritted his teeth and pressed forward, the full weight of his power behind the swing. 

Seonghwa could feel his arms aching at the awkward angle; he knew he was no match for the other man in terms of sheer strength. He needed to be clever, so he looked for an opening. His left arm was still at his side; if he swung upwards for the quartermaster’s shoulder, it should alarm him enough to have him back off. However, before his dagger could make contact, another steel sword blocked its path. 

Both Mingi and Seonghwa stopped short, weapons frozen in surprise. The mage looked up in bewilderment to see the fuming face of the captain, brandishing his sword in righteous anger. 

Just like that, Seonghwa felt the haze of battle dissipate. Reason return to him with a cold abruptness, along with a feeling of dread. _What on earth had he been thinking?_

“Enough!” Hongjoong’s voice was sharp with rage, his posture every inch the fearful pirate captain the rumours painted him to be. 

With a few deft swings, the captain disarmed both him and Mingi, their weapons clattering to the deck in an instant. Hongjoong sheathed his own sword, and turned to face the crew, eyebrows pulled together in anger. 

The rest of the crew ducked their heads, unwilling to get involved. The wind had picked up in speed, and Seonghwa could feel the first splattering of raindrops on his face. 

“Enough!” Hongjoong shouted again, looking between the two of them with disbelief. “What are you both doing?” 

Seonghwa stared at the deck, abashed. He should have known better, should have controlled his temper and his pride. He swallowed nervously, waiting for the captain to announce his punishment. 

“Well? I’m waiting,” the captain looked intense, his usual warm demeanour magnified into a raging inferno.

“It was my fault—” “I baited him—”

Seonghwa turned to look at Mingi in surprise. The quartermaster looked apologetic, a complete turnaround to his previous expression, eyebrows furrowed in remorse.

The mage was confused at his sudden change of heart, but he ignored it and stepped forward. “It was my fault,” he said, keeping his gaze fixed on the deck. Seonghwa wasn’t sure he’d be able to bear the look of disappointment or reproach in the captain’s eyes. “I was arrogant, I shouldn’t have let it get this far.” 

Before he could apologize for his transgressions, the quartermaster snorted and spoke. “You can’t take the blame for this one,” he pointed out, voice grudging. “I wanted to provoke you into a fight; I shouldn’t be surprised that it ended in one.”

Seonghwa frowned; he supposed that some measure of blame could be placed on both of them, but he was the older one and thus should have known better. 

Hongjoong stared at them in silence. He did not look impressed at either of their explanations. 

“I have neither the time nor the patience to deal with your immature antics,” he started, each word enunciated with precision. “If you continue to behave like children, I will have no choice but to treat you as such. This is your first and last warning.” 

Turning to the crew, he said, “In the future, if you see your crew members behaving like fools, I would hope at least one of you would have the good sense to stop them. Is that understood?”

Murmured agreements from the crew, who continued to avoid looking the captain in the eye. 

After an uncomfortable pause, he continued, “I came to announce that we’ve spotted land. We should be heading into the shallows soon; everyone needs to prepare to drop anchor.”

“Mingi, take Jongho and some of the kids to prepare the rowboats. If we can get close enough to the beach, we won’t need them, but its best to be prepared. Seonghwa, go and find Yeosang. Once we reach the island, I need to know which direction we’re travelling.” 

“If I hear a single argument between the two of you…” he let the threat trail off, turning around and stomping back up to the quarterdeck. Seonghwa flinched at the sound of his echoing footsteps, harsh in way he’d never heard them before. 

_Looks like I’ve really messed up this time…_

* * * 

Yeosang was good at noticing things, about himself and other people. He’d always been a quiet child, more prone to sitting on the sidelines and observing rather than jumping into the fray himself. 

He’d noticed the fake smiles and forced laughter of the aristocrats who came to parties at the mansion. He’d noticed when his parents stopped talking to each other, he’d noticed their disappointment in him. 

He noticed when he started to fall in love with his best friend, and he noticed that his friend had never once looked at him the same way so he knew that it was doomed. 

He traced the line of Wooyoung’s smile, the swoop of his lavender coloured hair, the light in his eyes when he was around his friends. He knew the other man’s favourite colour, his favourite food, his favourite music. It didn’t change anything, knowing these things, but that didn’t stop him. Yeosang collected these observations like pieces of gold, hoarding them in his mind and telling himself that it was enough. It was enough to know him, it was enough to be able to stay by his side. To have his affection, platonic though it was. 

For the most part it worked. Yeosang could satisfy himself with what he had, but sometimes his control slipped, and he felt the pain lance through him all over again. It wasn’t enough; it would never be enough. The truth of that fact ached, a dull throbbing pain that was no less intense for being difficult to explain. He could pretend all he liked, but it would only ever be a fantasy. 

So when the raven-haired mage came to find him after the fight with his head bowed low and an expression of self-loathing, the navigator recognized the look on his face. It was the same look that he wore whenever he’d fought with Wooyoung; a combination of guilt and anger, all underpinned with a fear of losing someone precious.

He didn't have to work too hard to figure out what had happened. The captain must have yelled at him for fighting with the quartermaster. Hongjoong was known for being quick to anger; most of the crew had learned not to take the words spoken in his rage too seriously, but Seonghwa was still new. For all that he and the captain worked together like kindred souls, there was still a lot that the mage hadn’t learned about the other man yet. 

_If only people listened to my advice_ , Yeosang thought despairingly, before wondering how he could comfort his new friend. 

Wooyoung must have had the same idea as him, because he leaped forward and threw an arm around the mage’s shoulders, despite the fact that he had to lean up on his tiptoes to do it. Yeosang reminded himself that this was ridiculous, though his heart couldn’t help but whisper ‘adorable.’

“Don’t worry, Captain’s all bark and no bite,” Wooyoung reassured, looking cheerful at the prospect of their imminent landing. “He’ll cool down before you know it.”

“I don’t think so,” Seonghwa said, staring at the wall with a forlorn expression on his face. 

Wooyoung snorted. “You look like someone killed your puppy,” he teased, hazel eyes lighting up with mischief. The lamp light below decks highlighted the soft-pink of his hair and made him seem warmer than usual. Yeosang hated himself for noticing. 

He sighed, turning to address the despondent mage. “Look, you apologized right? Hongjoong-hyung will forgive you before nightfall, I guarantee it. He’s not one to hold grudges.”

The mage nodded, but it was obvious his mind was still on the captain. Deciding it was best to move on from the subject, Yeosang remarked, “If we’d approached from the other side of the island, our trek would’ve been a lot shorter.”

“Why didn’t we?” Wooyoung asked, abandoning that mage and hoping over to the navigator, leaning over his shoulders to get a better look at the maps. Yeosang smacked his arm, but the lavender-haired pirate just ignored him and snuggled closer. 

The navigator swallowed; he hated how this simple contact could overwhelm him, set his heart racing.

_He doesn’t mean it that way,_ he reminded himself. _He’s just being friendly. He’s like that with everyone._  


“It’s a sheer cliff face; we wouldn’t be able to scale it,” he explained, managing to keep his voice even as he pointed to the side of the island where the temple was located. “We had to settle for approaching from the west side.”

“We’re going to have to walk through the village,” the mage added, attempting to focus his attention back on the maps. “I think we should get rooms there for the night.”

Yeosang looked at him in surprise. “Is there an inn?”  
  
Seonghwa frowned, but nodded. “There’s supposed to be one,” he said, but his voice was hesitant. “I’m not sure if it’s still around, but either way, it’s probably safer than camping in the forest.”

“Good idea,” Wooyoung said, then straightened up and hopped towards the stairs. Yeosang immediately missed his warmth, then scolded himself for it. He’d noticed that the lavender-haired man was never been able to sit in one place for too long.

True to form, the master rigger made for the staircase, calling over his shoulder as he went. “Come on, let’s head back up, I think we’re about to drop anchor.” 

Yeosang followed him up onto the deck and wondered if he’d ever be able to stop noticing.

* * *

Hongjoong wanted to hold onto his anger as the crew disembarked from the rowboats, but he found that task hard to accomplish when dealing with two despondent faces pouting at him, though one was more subtle than the other.

He had brought the Aurora as close to the beach as he dared, dropping anchor some two hundred yards from the shoreline. The schooner was good at navigating shallow waters, but the skies had opened up and the waves were becoming rougher by the minute, so he didn’t want to risk running aground.

Bags were packed, maps were double-checked and the rowboats were brought out. The crew made the trip down to the beach in small group, dragging the boats up to a small cove afterwards and leaving them there concealed there.

Mingi, the unsubtle one, had followed him down the beach during this entire process, eyes shining like a wounded puppy, expression pinched with guilt.

After a few minutes of this, Hongjoong caved. “Don’t look so devastated, Mingi. I didn’t even yell this time. Not really.”

It shouldn’t have been possible, but the quartermaster looked even more depressed at his statement. “I know I shouldn’t have started a fight, hyung.”

Hongjoong sighed. It was hard to be mad when the kids were this remorseful. “Its fine,” he reassured, not wanting Mingi to feel bad. 

"It’s not,” Mingi protested, with a shake of his head. His voice wavered as he said, “I— I promised you I’d give him a chance.”

Hongjoong closed his eyes at that. He knew Mingi had a soft heart, but it was times like this when he was reminded of that fact.

“I’m not mad at you, Mingi-ah,” he promised, facing the other with a gentle expression. “He’s just as much to blame. Perhaps even more so for actually listening to your idea; we all know no good comes of that.”

Mingi looked a little brighter at the familiar jest. “That thing with the parrots was not my fault,” he complained, though his lips were struggling not to turn up at the corners. 

Hongjoong quirked a smile in response. “That’s what they all say,” he teased, glad when the action resulted in a laugh from his quartermaster. He was about to continue, but before he could a shout interrupted him.

“Hyung! Can I borrow Mingi for a second?” It was Yunho, the medic coming up behind them with a cheerful expression. 

“He’s all yours,” Hongjoong joked. ”Keep him if you’d like.”

“Hey!” Mingi mock-protested, though he seemed much happier than before. Hongjoong reached up and ruffled his hair before he left, grinning when it caused the other man to squawk at him with indignation. 

Laughing, Hongjoong let himself fall towards the back of the group, trusting San to watch their path at the front. His humour faded when he caught sight of the mage walking just ahead of him, shoulders slumped in quiet despair.

Seonghwa was much more subtle than the quartermaster had been. If the captain hadn’t known better, he wouldn’t have suspected that anything was wrong because it wasn’t obvious from the mage’s expression. Fortunately, Hongjoong had gotten quite good at reading the mysterious raven-haired man from their late-night conversations on the deck.

It hadn’t been planned, but over the past week both of them would end up outside at some point during the night, and he’d kind of gotten to expect the other’s presence. It had become something of a ritual, and Hongjoong found himself looking forward to those conversations. It gave him a chance to get to know the other man, and from what he’d figured so far, the mage had struck him as more of the pacifist type, which made him surprised that Seonghwa had let an argument come to blows.

_What do you really know about him?_ The sinister voice inside his head asked him. Hongjoong told it to shut up.

The mage looked so despondent, shoulders slumped as he walked up the beach. Hongjoong couldn’t stand it. 

He sighed and walked up beside him, keeping his voice quiet so as not to be overheard.“You weren’t hurt in the fight, were you?”  


“Hongjoong!” he cried, startling at the sight of the captain. The raven-haired man’s eyes were wide with surprise, and his voice was cautious when he responded, “No, I wasn’t hurt.”

“Good,” the captain said, then paused to consider his next words. The mage kept darting unsubtle glances at him, an attempt to gauge his mood perhaps. Hongjoong sighed; there was no point in keeping up the charade anymore. “That was a stupid and immature thing to do,” he said, voice gentler than he’d intended it to be. “Don’t do it again, all right?” 

Seonghwa smiled, tentative and hesitant. “I won’t,” he promised, nodding at him with an earnest expression. 

Hongjoong felt his lips quirk up at the sight of the hopeful expression on the mage’s face. Perhaps he should be more worried about the fact that he couldn’t bear to be mad at the raven-haired man for more than a couple hours, but he couldn’t bring himself to mind that much. Either way, he didn’t have long to dwell on it. Within minutes, the wind picked up and what had been a drizzle turned into an outright downpour.

“We should find a place to spend the night!” San said, speaking from somewhere at the front of the group, raising his voice to be heard over the gale-force wind.

“If we make into town, there should be an inn!” Yeosang shouted back, struggling to keep his coat from being blown off.

“Sounds good!” Hongjoong confirmed, gesturing for him to move to the front. “Take the lead!”

The navigator nodded, reaching into his pocket to check his compass before leading the crew up the beachfront and eastwards towards the village. It wasn’t a long walk, but the rain was still coming down in torrents: all of them were chilled to the bone within minutes.

Even so, his soaked clothes didn’t detract from the wonder he felt as he first walked into the little village. It was a charming place, all brown brick houses with tangled vines winding up the walls and thatched roofs that smelled of summer sweetness.

Walking along the cobblestone paths, Hongjoong thought he could feel the trace signs of magic in the air. It was the little things; trees with blossoms that didn’t wither in the storm, a mural painted a little too realistically, the clever green eyes of a black cat curled up on a windowsill.

More than that, he could tell from the way Seonghwa’s eyes lit up the further they walked into the village. It was as if the magic in the atmosphere was seeping into his skin, recharging him and peeling off the layers of exhaustion.

He smiled, feeling a little lighter himself. The village was quaint, befitting its location on a hard-to-find island. It didn’t take the crew long to reach their destination, a place located near the centre of the town. An engraved wooden sign hanging above the door declared it to be ‘The Rose Quartz Inn.’ 

The crew exchanged a quick glance, then opened the doors and rushed inside, eager to be out of the storm. 

As soon as the door closed behind him, Hongjoong sighed in relief as warmth sunk back into his skin. The lot of them must have made for a sorry sight, he thought with some amusement, chilled to the bone and dripping puddles onto the clean wooden floorboards of the inn.

The room was warm and well-lit, all polished wood accented with deep reds and bright golds. It was a large place, a dining room and kitchen on the first floor with stairs that led up to the where the rooms must be located. Hongjoong looked around with interest, noting the well-decorated walls and the intricate chandelier hanging in the middle of the room.

Despite the lavish furnishings, the place was empty apart from a young man cleaning behind the bar. He looked up at their arrival, making a quiet noise of surprise. He stopped his work, walking out from behind the bar with an incredulous look on his face. His eyes twinkled with mischief and when he spoke, his voice was soft and dreamlike. 

“Seonghwa? Park Seonghwa in my little inn, could it be?” 

The crew all turned as one, heads swivelling to look at the mage. The man who’d spoken had shoulder-length blonde hair that framed his face with a halo-like effect; combined with his gentle brown eyes and kind smile, he looked like an angel come to life.

Hongjoong hated him.

Seonghwa stared at the other man, eyes wide with shock. His mouth opened and closed a few times, before he managed to speak. “Jeong—Jeonghan-hyung? Is that you? I can’t believe it!” 

Hongjoong watched as the mage walked forward and wrapped the other man in a tight hug, looking like the weight of the worlds had been removed from his shoulders. He ignored the sharp pang that stabbed at his chest; what did he care if the raven-haired mage hugged someone else like that. It was none of his business. 

“What on earth are you doing here?” the man said, holding onto the mage’s shoulders and staring at him with him with mock severity. Then he looked past Seonghwa and seemed to take in the rest of the crew for the first time. His eyebrows pulled upwards in surprise

“Long story,” Seonghwa said, smiling at the innkeeper sheepishly.

“I can’t wait to hear it,” he said, looking at the group with unabashed curiosity. “First things first, you all need to warm up.”

Hongjoong had to admit, Jeonghan was ridiculously efficient. Within the next quarter hour, he’d gotten them all to change into dry clothes and had settled everyone down in the dining room with warm blankets and steaming mugs of hot cocoa.

The furniture had been pushed together to create one large table, where the crew sat exchanging stories with the employees.

Hongjoong had been wary at first about revealing their identity to strangers, but the blond-haired innkeeper had pulled him aside and told him not to worry.

“I’ve seen all sorts come through here,” he’d said. “A couple of pirates seems almost normal in comparison.”

Hongjoong scanned his face for signs of a lie, but he’d seemed sincere enough. The other employees didn’t seem to be bothered either, chatting easily with the crew. Hongjoong decided to trust him for the time being; apart from his closeness with the mage, he seemed like a decent person. 

Once he was sure the rest of the kids were settled, Hongjoong went back to his own seat next to the mage and all but collapsed onto it. Seonghwa gave him a sympathetic smile, but before he could say anything, Jeonghan came to talk to them. 

“So,” the blond-haired innkeeper started, sitting down across from him. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

Hongjoong exchanged a look with Seonghwa. He wasn’t sure if he should reveal the entire truth of their quest, regardless of how kind the innkeeper seemed to be. 

He decided to start with the most important thing. “Has another pirate crew come through here recently?”

“No,” Jeonghan said, looking at the co-owner of the inn to double-check. The other man, Joshua, shook his head as well. “We don’t get a lot of visitors this time of year; monsoon season.”

Hongjoong cursed; if the Black Swan had come here, it looked like they hadn’t bothered to go through the village. 

“We’re looking for someone,” Seonghwa said, choosing his words with care. “A pirate crew. We think that they came here to visit the Sanctuary. We’re…following their trail, so to speak.”

“The Sanctuary, huh?” Jeonghan shook his head, looking fond but resigned. “When you start something, you sure know how to go all in.” 

It was addressed to Seonghwa, but Hongjoong leaned forward with a pensive expression. “Is there something we should know about the place?”

Jeonghan hesitated. “The mages at the temple don’t take kindly to strangers, especially those who come armed. I don’t know if your friends would have received a warm welcome.”

“We have to try,” Seonghwa pointed out, calm but firm. 

“I thought you might say that,” Jeonghan said with a sigh. “Well, my advice for you is to not take everyone in your crew. A smaller group might be seen as less of a threat.”

“That’s a good idea,” Hongjoong conceded, turning to Seonghwa. “I’m thinking, the two of us and Yeosang for sure. Who else?”  


The mage took a second to think about the question. “Yunho?” he suggested.

The captain nodded. “I don’t want to expect the worst, but a medic would be helpful. That’s four of us… perhaps just one more?”

He considered, thinking about who would work well with the dynamics of the group. He didn’t want to bring the kids, in case it was dangerous and Mingi was out for obvious reasons. Bringing either Wooyoung or San alone meant dealing with pining, which left…

“Jongho,” he decided, thinking of the master gunner’s stable and dependable temperament. 

The mage nodded in agreement, before asking his next question. “What should the rest of the crew do while we’re at the temple? I think it could take a couple of days at least.”

Hongjoong frowned. “I don’t want them to go back to the ship right now,” he said, thinking aloud. “It doesn’t seem safe.”

“They can stay here,” Jeonghan cut in, gesturing to the inn with a smile. “I have enough space upstairs for all of you, if you don’t mind sharing three to a room.”

“Thanks,” Hongjoong said, grateful for the solution but reluctant to be in the other man’s debt. “How much would it cost?”

Jeonghan shook his head, smile never wavering. “It’s on the house,” he said, putting up a hand to stop their protests. Looking at the mage, he said, “Consider it repayment for helping me out all those years ago, I’d never have made it without you and your sister.”

Hongjoong wondered what history the two of them shared, but decided it wasn’t his place to ask. 

“It was nothing, I told you.” Seonghwa insisted, looking concerned. “I’m just glad you made it out.”

The innkeeper’s smile dimmed a bit at that, but the warmth in his eyes remained. “Regardless, I won’t accept a copper from either of you.” He shook his head, looking stubborn. “That’s my final word on the matter.”

“I really can’t accept—” Hongjoong started to say, before he was cut off.

“If it means so much to you, some of the crew can help me out around the inn. There are some errands I need running and the person I usually ask is out of town for a while. How does that sound?”

The pirate captain paused, but he had to admit that it was a good offer. “That sounds more than fair.” 

The blond-haired innkeeper smiled, looking satisfied. “Good, now that that’s settled, I’ll have Seokmin show you to your rooms.” 

As he spoke, a beagle-looking brown-haired man got up from further down the table and walked over to them. Jeonghan explained the situation to him, and the other man nodded, gesturing at the pirates to follow him upstairs. 

“Not you,” Jeonghan said, grabbing at the mage’s arm when he turned to follow them. “You’re coming with me; we have so much to catch up on!” 

Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong uncertainly. “If it’s all right—” 

“Of course,” he said, not wanting the mage to feel obligated to spend time with him. “I’ll see you in the morning, then. Good night.”

“Sleep well,” Seonghwa said, voice sweet as ever. He bid the rest of the crew farewell and turned to follow his blond-haired friend. 

Hongjoong heard Jeonghan began to question the mage with an excited tone as the two of them walked down the hallway. “So, pirates? I’d never have imagined—” 

Hongjoong watched him go and pretended he couldn’t feel the sting in his chest at the thought of losing their midnight conversation.

He followed the brown haired man, Seokmin, to a small room upstairs where he crashed onto the nearest bed. Hongjoong slept fitfully that night, and pretended he didn’t know why.

* * * 

The five of them rose at dawn, meeting downstairs in the dining hall before their departure. The crew had all come down to wish them safe travels; a sweet gesture considering the early hour of the morning. Jeonghan, the blond-haired innkeeper had gotten up to see them off as well, though he hadn’t bothered to change out of his sleep clothes, which Yeosang thought was amusing. 

Then he caught sight of Wooyoung, and his vision tunnelled. He swallowed hard at the sight of the boatswain, hair sleep mussed and clothes askew. Just like that, Yeosang was transported back to their childhood, startling awake to the sight of a lavender-haired boy climbing through his bedroom window. For a second, he allowed himself the daydream; he was back home and it was just the two of them against the world again.

Then a loud voice sounded in his ear and Yeosang was jolted back to the present, clutching his bag and standing at the door on an inn on a hidden island about to visit a magical temple complex, shivering in the morning cold. The navigator took a deep breath, and forced himself to shake the nostalgic thoughts from his mind. He would not spend this trip occupied with illusions of what-could-have-been. He had a job to do, and the sooner he remembered that, the better it would be for all of them. 

The crew walked them to the door, parting with hugs and promises to return soon. Wooyoung caught him an embrace before he left, pulling him in tight. Yeosang let himself be reeled in, closing his eyes in the warmth of the other man’s arms, soaking in the feeling of his attention. It was intoxicating, like an addiction he couldn’t quit. 

He held the warmth of that embrace in his mind as they walked through the deserted village streets, making their way to eastern limits of the town. When they reached the place where paved paths turned to packed earth, the five of them took a minute, exchanging a silent glance. 

Then, with a nod of confirmation from Hongjoong, all of them stepped forward and plunged into the unknown. The initial darkness of the forest disoriented him for a minute; when his eyes adjusted to the light, he felt his breath catch in his throat at the vision before him.

The forest was lush, dark and green; the kind of green that permeated from the leaves into the air and painted the entire landscape in an abundance of natural colours. Flowers bloomed in bright bursts of red and orange and pink, all contrasting shades to the backdrop of foliage. Ferns sprouted out from near the roots of trees, tickling his legs as he brushed past them. He could see places where pools of rainwater had collected, making the ground damp and filling the air with the scent of petrichor. Aside from the trill of birdsong up above or the occasional twig snapping underfoot, the forest was silent. 

It felt like he had stepped into another world, a place still untouched by human civilization. Even the dappled sunlight that was trickling through the overhead canopy was hesitant and muted, as if afraid to intrude on the peacefulness of this grove. It was mesmerizing. 

As he looked around at his crew members, he could see similar expression of awe on their faces. The forest was a watercolour painting come to life. 

Yeosang tightened his grip on the maps he’d brought with him; he knew which direction they should travel, but he wasn’t sure how long it would take or what obstacles they might encounter on their path. Even the information he’d gotten from Jeonghan last night had been frustratingly vague.

If the lack of clear information bothered Seonghwa, he didn’t let it show. He shouldered his own pack with a careful confidence, taking the lead with ease. Yeosang and the others fell into step behind him, leaving Hongjoong to take up the rear.  
  
On and on the five of them walked, surrounded on all sides with the wondrous sights of the forest. The trek was going well until their crew wandered into a deeper part of the forest; the atmosphere around them changed. The colours became darker and the air felt cooler somehow. The muted sunlight faded altogether, leaving them stumbling and tripping over tree roots.

From behind him, he could hear the medic looking around nervously. “Are you sure we’re going in the right direction?”

Seonghwa turned to look at him, and Yeosang fumbled for his maps. “I— I think so,” he muttered, feeling unsure of himself all of a sudden. He’d spent the past week marking this route down to the last detail; if he’d gotten something wrong, all of them were screwed. 

The mage took a few steps backward and glanced over his shoulder; Yeosang tilted the maps so that he could get a better look. After a few moments, the other man frowned. “This is the path,” he announced. “If we keep heading northeast, we should run into the mountains soon. Let’s keep going, but watch your step. The trees here are a lot denser.” 

The five of them continued, sticking close together and keeping a careful eye on their compass to check their direction was correct. It was slow going; all of them kept tripping over the tree roots or getting tangled in the vines. 

It seemed like hours had passed when the forest began to open up again, trees thinning out and sunlight filtering back in. In front of him, he heard Seonghwa inhale in surprise and stumble to a halt. Thrown off balance, the navigator almost crashed into his back, but managed to stop himself in time. He walked around the mage to see what had shocked him, and found himself face to face with the most unusual tree he’d ever seen. 

Despite the heat of the day, Yeosang shivered. He wasn’t sure what it was, but this tree seemed unnatural, all twisted black branches that should have long since become part of the earth. It was a weeping willow, its trunk old and twisted and its leaves long since dried. There was something about a creation of nature outliving its intended time that was chilling; cheating death to find itself trapped in a half-life. 

To his right, Seonghwa shuddered, his eyes vacant and glazed as he stared at the weeping willow. The navigator frowned in sympathy; if the negative aura was this bad for Yeosang, he couldn’t imagine how the mage was feeling, with his heightened sensitivity to the beings of nature.

The others had caught up to them at this point, all five of them crowding around the willow, while keeping a careful distance from its trunk. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Hongjoong and Yunho appeared to be uncertain as well. Even fearless Jongho seemed a little creeped out, which was odd because their master gunner was the first to jump into new situations without a second thought. 

Yeosang knew he should keep moving, leave well enough alone but some darker part of him trembled with curiosity. He stepped closer to the tree, a sick fascination rising in him. He needed to see what it was, he needed to—

“Yeosang? I don’t think you should go near that thing.” 

That was Yunho’s voice, sounding muted somehow. There was a faint buzzing starting to overtake his senses, a wordless whisper that urged him forward. Spellbound, he stepped closer, raising a tentative hand towards the trunk of the tree. 

He was so distracted that he didn’t notice the black-green vines inching down the trunk and slithering through the earth towards him. 

“I’m just going to take a closer look,” he murmured, without being aware of the words falling out of his own mouth.

He took another step closer; he was almost there, he could feel it.The ringing in Yeosang’s ears became louder, drowning out the panicked shouts of his friends.

“Hongjoong-hyung, do something!” “Yeosang, stop! Don’t move! Don’t touch it!” “Yeosang!”

He felt a light pressure around his ankle, but before the vine could take hold of him, a hand closed around his wrist and yanked, pulling him off his feet and sending him tumbling to the ground. He crashed against the forest floor, head slamming into the person beneath him, both of them wincing in pain at the rough landing.  
  
The fog dissipated. His mind cleared, and he could see the vines on the ground, writing in anger at losing their prey. He stared, unable to comprehend the scene in front of him. From beside him, Jongho groaned, sitting up and clutching at his head. The master gunner must have been the one to pull him back. 

Before he could regain his bearings, the rest of the group descended, fretting over both him and Jongho. He waved off their concerns, managing to stand up without losing his balance.  
  
“I’m fine,” he promised, trying his best to look less rattled than he felt. He turned to Jongho. “Thanks for pulling me back,” he said, looking over the master gunner. “You’re not hurt, are you?” 

Jongho shook his head, looking more worried for Yeosang than himself. At his side, Seonghwa fluttered his hands over both of them, looking as though he wished there was a spell that could help them. 

“What the hell was that thing?” Yunho asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern. Hongjoong seemed worried too, glancing back at the tree with a distant expression. 

“Enchantment magic gone dark? I've never seen anything that powerful before though,” Seonghwa admitted, looking disconcerted. “I don't think its a good idea to stay here. If you both aren't hurt, we should keep moving.”

The rest of the crew murmured an agreement, and the five of them started off again, taking care to keep their distance from the tree this time. Yeosang could still feel the residual effects of whatever strange illusion had attracted him in the first place, a faint tingling in the back of his mind that made his skin itch. His shoulders tensed with wariness and he didn't relax till the group had managed to get a good distance from the willow. 

Even then, the rest of the trek was silent. It was a tense silence, the silence that came with being observed. The group couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. There was something about the forest that seemed almost— sentient.

Eventually, as the five of them made it into a clearing near the base of the mountain, Hongjoong called for a halt.

“I think we should set up camp here for the night; we’re losing the light and I don’t want to have to climb in the dark, we’d be at risk of falling,” the captain said, dropping his pack on the ground. “Let’s get some rest and start at dawn tomorrow morning.”

“Works for me,” Yunho said, flopping down onto the ground. “I’m still freaked out from that — whatever the hell that thing was.”

Jongho shuddered. “Tell me about it,” he muttered, still looking a little spooked. “I wonder if there’s anything else like that on the mountain?”

The master gunner turned to look at their resident mage, but even Seonghwa just shook his head, as much at a loss as the rest of them

Yunho stood up with a shrug. “Well, I’m going to get some firewood,” he announced. "Who’s coming with?”

“I’ll go,” Seonghwa offered, always eager to be of help. He made to follow the medic out of the clearing, but turned to address them before he left.

“Be careful,” he said, glancing around at the trees with a frown. “I don’t... there’s something about this whole place... just keep an eye out.”

Something in the mage’s warning chilled his bones. Yeosang remained quiet as he helped Jongho secure the perimeter of the clearing, waiting with bated breath. Even Hongjoong seemed on edge, keeping a hand near his sword as he glanced around the clearing. 

Once the others had returned, some of the tension seemed to ease from the group. There was something comforting about seeing all of them gathered together; it made the forest seem less threatening. 

After that, it was quick work to make up a fire; soon the flames were blazing bright at the centre of the clearing which helped make the forest seem less eerie. After a half-hearted dinner of some cured meats and bread that the tavern owners had been kind enough to pack for them, the five of them sat around the fire and battled their closing eyelids. 

It was Hongjoong who broke the silence, their captain standing from the ground and dusting himself off as he said, “All of you, get some rest, I’ll take first watch.”

Yeosang wanted to protest, but he was struggling to keep his eyes open at that point so he gave in and settled himself on the ground, wincing as the twigs underneath poked him. This was the one part of this life he’d never quite gotten used to; he’d been raised in luxury at the mansion, swathed in creature comforts like plush mattresses and satin sheets and warm fur coats. It’s not that he missed it; he’d give his last breath to never go back to that loveless place, but he had to admit that he wouldn’t mind something to help protect against the increasing chill of the night. 

Yeosang shivered, huddling into himself in an attempt to conserve heat. He could hear the others mumbling agreements, each finding their own patch of ground to lay their blankets and get a few hours of shut-eye before morning. He was on the edge of unconsciousness when he felt something warm and soft being draped over his form. He looked up, blinking the drowsiness from his eyes, and saw the master gunner tucking an extra blanket around him. The chestnut-haired pirate caught his gaze and smiled, whispering a soft good night. 

The blanket smelled like Jongho, sweet pine needles and bonfire smoke. It was oddly comforting. Yeosang pulled the blanket further up to his chin, eyes fluttering shut once more. Feeling the tug of sleep, he reminded himself to thank the other man in the morning and let the warmth of the fabric lull him into slumber, drifting off in minutes. 

He woke a few hours later, well into the middle of the night. He laid still at first, straining his ears as he tried to figure out what had woken him. 

The night was still apart from the occasional rustling of nocturnal creatures, and for several minutes, Yeosang didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. He was about to dismiss the noise as residual jumpiness, when a whisper reached his ears. 

“—again for fighting. I don’t know what got into me.” It was Seonghwa’s voice, soft and remorseful. Yeosang squinted; he could just about see the mage’s silhouette on the opposite side of their make-shift campground, sitting up against a tree with the captain.

“I told you its fine; you don’t need to keep apologizing.” Hongjoong sounded exasperated, but fond. It was a tone Yeosang heard him use with the crew all the time, as familiar to him as the sound of the ocean. 

There was a moment’s hesitation before the mage replied. “Yena used to tell me, ‘A mage’s words are their greatest weapon,’” he said, a melancholic tinge to his words. “She’d be disappointed.”

“Or proud,” Hongjoong suggested. “You held your own against a pirate and a pretty good one at that.” 

Seonghwa huffed out a laugh, “That’s one way to think about it.” 

There was a pause, then Yeosang heard the captain speak, “You know, Namjoon used to tell me the same thing. He’d say that swords and guns were never the solution to any problem, and that we should talk it out, like civilized people. Yoongi always snorted and called him a hypocrite.” 

“You must miss them,” Seonghwa’s voice was soft with sympathy. 

“Everyday,” Hongjoong said without missing a beat. “I’m afraid… I’m afraid I won’t see them again. That I won’t be able to find them.”

“You will,” Seonghwa said instantly, so full of conviction that it even surprised Yeosang a little bit. 

“How do you know? What if this is a dead end?” 

It was the same fear that Yeosang himself had, but it seemed odd to hear the tremble in his captain’s voice.  He’d always seen Hongjoong as full of confidence, unflappable in even the worst situations; the pirate captain had never let his crew see him as anything other than a strong leader. He wondered how tiring it must be, to shoulder the burden of that responsibility all the time.  


“Then we’ll keep looking,” the mage said, calm and unruffled as always. “Whatever it takes.”

Silence again, for so long that Yeosang thought they’d gone to sleep. Then so quietly, he almost missed it, Hongjoong whispered, “Thank you.” 

Yeosang smiled to himself. Hongjoong had always been something of a loner, even with the crew. It looked as though he'd finally found someone to confide in, someone who could support him and reassure him when he was unsure. He drifted back to sleep, warmth curled in his chest and a faint smile on his lips. The next time he woke, it was to the sounds of a battlefield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, readers! Apologies for the lateness of this post, this chapter ended being longer than I had intended... oops? 
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for being patient and hopefully you're still reading this story! :)


	9. The Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The minute Seonghwa’s eyes caught sight of the temple complex, all other thoughts vanished from his head. Even for his preoccupied mind, the temple was a breathtaking sight. The complex was situated amidst the lush green of the untamed forest, covered in a gentle white mist that swept around the buildings. The structure looked enormous and ancient, a mixture of old castle-style turrets and medieval pavilion roofs vanishing into the low-hanging cloud cover. The complex was protected by stone walls covered with tangling vines of ivy, interspersed with the occasional bloom of wild flowers. It was nothing like what he'd expected it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “If there’s even a slight change of getting something that will make you happy, risk it. Life’s too short, and happiness is too rare.” ~ A.R. Lucas

Hongjoong didn’t remember falling asleep but he must have drifted off at some point during the night because he found himself startling awake the next morning with a feeling of dread.

The sun had just started to rise over the horizon, dark fading into light. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was that gave him pause. He straightened up from where he’d been slumped against a tree trunk and looked around the clearing with careful eyes.

It was the unnatural silence, he realized. Everything was quiet; even the birdsong had stopped. The air was still; it felt like the forest was holding its breath.

Then before he could blink, the clearing exploded into motion as shadows fell from above, surrounding him and the rest of the crew. The forest darkened as the shadows coalesced in front of them and Hongjoong saw that they were not shadows at all; they were people cloaked in black robes. His shock slowed him down; the person in front of him struck, lashing out with a sword that seemed to materialize from thin air.

It was only Hongjoong’s years of training that saved him. He hit the ground hard, tucking into a roll and coming up behind his attacker. He took advantage of their confusion and drew his own sword, muscles falling into a natural fighting stance.

It bought him only a second; the robed figure spun too, sword swinging with their momentum and Hongjoong had to keep moving, clearing the point of the blade by mere centimetres. He brought his own sword up for a strike, lunging forewords while trying to regain his bearings. His mind was a riot of confusion, but there was no time to stop and think. Every part of his attention was focused on the fight. Between one move and the next, his gaze darted around the clearing, struggling to catch a glimpse of the others.

_Lunge.  
_

There, to his right, Seonghwa with twin daggers up and flames flickering around him as he ducked and weaved in and out of the trees, keeping his attackers on their toes.

_Block._

To his left, Jongho with his broadsword drawn, holding back two more cloaked figures.

 _Parry_.

Across the clearing, Yunho had been backed into a corner, though he seemed to be holding his own for the time being.

_Slash, then retreat._

There, Yeosang with trembling hands wrapped around a pistol, eyes darting from shadow to shadow with fear. He’d made himself scarce behind a large oak tree and had yet to draw the attention of their attackers. Hongjoong wanted to keep it that way; Yeosang was a veritable genius, but he didn’t do well with violent altercations. Whenever the crew had to fight, Hongjoong tried to keep the peace-loving navigator out of the action, lest he freeze at an inopportune moment and hurt himself. Hongjoong worried in vain till a sharp swipe to his left arm had him wincing in pain and his focus was drawn back to his own fight.

The robed figure in front of him was advancing, purpose clear in their steps. Hongjoong feinted upwards, then aimed for the figure’s feet, landing a blow that sent them tumbling to the ground. He vaulted over them, turning towards one of the two figures battling Jongho when a loud voice across the clearing drew his attention. Hongjoong looked over and froze.

One of the cloaked figures, a blue-haired woman, had gotten Yeosang and was holding a wicked looking knife to his throat.

“Stop!” she shouted, voice ringing clear in the sudden silence. “Unless you would like me to slit your friend's pretty little throat, you will drop your weapons and stand down.”

When no one moved, her frown deepened and she pressed the length of her blade further into Yeosang’s throat. “Now,” she barked, eliciting a choked whimper from the navigator.

Hongjoong was the first to react. Bending down slowly, he placed his sword on the ground, lifting his hands up into the air. At his lead, the rest of the crew followed suit, disarming themselves with obvious reluctance.

Hongjoong waited till all their weapons were on the ground before he spoke. “We’ve done what you asked,” he said, struggling to keep his voice calm. He needed to keep a cool head if he wanted to get his crew out of this fight unscathed. “Now, let him go.”

The blue-haired woman glared. “Not so fast. First, tell us who you are and what business you have trespassing on our lands.”

Around the clearing, the rest of his crew was still frozen, giving the robed figures a chance to regroup. They adopted a loose circular formation, pulling their hoods off as they went. There were five — six, including the one holding Yeosang hostage— that Hongjoong saw; four women and two men, all wearing identical loose black robes. The robed figures began pushing the crew into a clump at the centre of the clearing. Hongjoong let himself be moved without protest, worried about the consequences to Yeosang if he tried anything.

One of them made a flicking gesture with his hands, and a gust of wind pushed the dropped weapons out of reach to the far side of the clearing.

They were mages, Hongjoong realized with a start. He darted a glance at Seonghwa, who looked tense but not surprised. He must have figured it out already.

His own thoughts were scattered, trying to form a coherent plan of attack but he couldn’t come up with anything. He gritted his teeth and scanned the other three members of the crew for life-threatening injuries. No one seemed as if they were in danger of bleeding out so he turned his attention back to the figure holding Yeosang at knife point.

Seonghwa spoke before he could. He took a careful step forward, arms raised in a gesture of peace. His voice sounded composed, but Hongjoong could detect an undercurrent of tension. “We’re here to consult the mages of the Sanctuary. We need their help.” he hesitated, then added, “We mean you no harm.”

Behind him, he heard Jongho snort as if he wasn’t at all sure that statement was true but a sharp glance from Hongjoong had him holding his tongue. One of the robed figures in the back frowned in their direction, but Hongjoong ignored it.

He stepped forward. “We’re looking for some friends that we think might have passed through here a few weeks ago. A group of seven men,” he started, taking care to avoid mentioning the fact that they were pirates. Seonghwa had warned him that most mages would not be sympathetic towards them if that fact was disclosed. It look him longer than he expected to explain everything and when he’d finished, the robed figure had loosened her grip on Yeosang ever so slightly.

One of the robed figures at the back snapped his head up. “That sounds like—“  
  
“Quiet!” The one holding Yeosang snapped, looking at them with suspicion, though she also sheathed her knife as she said it.

Hongjoong felt the knot in his chest loosen just a little, seeing his friend out of immediate danger.

The mages looked at them with suspicion. “How do we know that you’re telling the truth?”  
  
Hongjoong faltered, but Seonghwa cleared his throat and looked the mage in the eyes as he declared, “We are; I swear it on my magic.” His voice was quiet but serious. Hongjoong figured it must be a significant oath because the black-robed figures looked more than a little surprised.

The blue-haired mage sighed and let go of the navigator, shoving him forward and sending him stumbling into Yunho’s arms. The medic caught him hurriedly and frantically checked him over for injuries. Yeosang, looking shaken but unhurt, waved him off and Hongjoong felt the knot of tension unwind a little more.

“There was a group of men who visited us around three weeks ago, on the night of the full moon," the blue-haired girl began. "They left the next morning, and I don’t know what they were looking for or where they went.”  
  
Hongjoong’s hopes which had started to rise, fell again.  
  
“But,” she continued, likely seeing the crestfallen look on his face. “The priestess probably knows. I suppose we can bring you to the temple so you can ask for an audience with her.”  
  
Yunho frowned. “Who’s the priestess?"

The boy who’d spoken earlier explained. “The priestess is the guardian of the temple. She’s the one who sets the wards, monitors the forest, decides when to accept a new mage for training and listens to the pleas of visitors. You’ll have to petition her. If she believes you, she might offer to help you.”  
  
Hongjoong narrowed his eyes. “And if she doesn’t believe us?” 

The boy tilted his head, a considering expression on his face. “I don’t think you want to find out.”  
  
The blue-haired girl seemed to grow impatient. “Enough,” she snapped. “We’ve wasted too much time here already. It’s dangerous for us to be out in the open for so long. Let’s take them to the temple and have the priestess deal with them.”

She started off in the direction of the temple,but Hongjoong stopped her before she could take more than a few steps. “We’ll need our weapons back,” he explained, taking care to keep his expression neutral. “Supplies too, if we’re just supposed to follow you into the middle of nowhere.”

The blue-haired girl narrowed her eyes, but waved a hand and swept their supplies back into reach. Hongjoong felt a sense of relief with his cutlass returned to him; he still wasn’t sure he’d be a match for this group of mages but at least he stood a chance now.

The rest of the crew followed suit and gathered their scattered weapons, Yeosang holstering his pistol with uncertain hands. Hongjoong made it a point to stick close to the navigator, hoping he'd be able to keep him out of danger this time.

The crew started walking, the mages flanking them on either side. No one protested, but Hongjoong could feel the crew's unease with the formation; everyone was aware that this could be a trap. The blue-haired girl who had moved to the front of their group stopped for a second, glancing around at the pirates as she announced, “Try anything and you’ll find out just how quick I can take my knife to someone’s throat.”

Then she turned back around and continued walking, as if issuing threats of murder was casual business for her.

Hongjoong slowed his pace to match Seonghwa’s, taking care to keep his voice low as he asked, “Do you think we can trust them?”

Seonghwa’s expression was grim when he replied, “I don’t think we have a choice.”

  
***

Something in Seonghwa’s chest had been pulling tight since the attack. It was not so much the mages themselves, although their skills were more advanced than most he’d encountered. It was more the fact that they had been able to sneak up on him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd fallen asleep when he was supposed to be keeping watch. It was possible it had never happened. Seonghwa hated sleeping in unfamiliar places - even when he wasn't on watch, he found himself unable to relax enough for slumber.

Camping in a possibly sentient forest with unknown enchantments; he’d expected to spend the entire night anxious and watchful. But Hongjoong had looked so warm in the firelight and so concerned about his old crew and all the background noise seemed to fade away when he focused on the orange-hair pirate captain. He’d been so absorbed with comforting the other man, then absorbed with ensuring the other man fall asleep and then just absorbed in general that he hadn’t even noticed when he’d nodded off himself.

 _That was dangerous,_ he thought to himself. _That one man could ruin years of careful practice with his mere presence._ Worse still was the fact that perhaps Seonghwa didn’t mind being ruined, not if it was Hongjoong’s doing.

His mind was a whirlpool of confusion that he chided himself not to think about; he had other, more immediate problems to concern himself with. The forest had started to thin around them as the mages and pirates emerged from the trees into a large clearing.

He needn't have worried. The minute Seonghwa’s eyes caught sight of the temple, all other thoughts vanished from his head. Even for his preoccupied mind, the temple was a breathtaking sight. The complex was situated amidst the lush green of the untamed forest, covered in a gentle white mist that swept around the buildings. The structure looked enormous and ancient, a mixture of old castle-style turrets and medieval pavilion roofs vanishing into the low-hanging cloud cover. The complex was protected by stone walls covered with tangling vines of ivy, interspersed with the occasional bloom of wild flowers. Between them and the temple stretched a chasm, a single rope bridge connecting the land on either side.

Seonghwa eyed the bridge with a good deal of trepidation. The structure seemed old and unstable, like one strong wind could break it apart. Even reinforced with magic, natural materials could be damaged through wear and tear and the passage of time. He did not relish the thought of trusting his life to hundreds of years old wooden planks that were liable to snap with just one misstep.

“This is as far as we can take you,” the blue-haired girl explained, coming to a stop in front of the rope bridge. “You’ll have to get through the rest on your own.”

Hongjoong frowned, looking like he was about to protest but Seonghwa placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him back. He thought he had an idea what the blue-haired girl wanted. “Is this a test? Do you want us to prove ourselves?” 

_“_ Something like that,” she replied. “It’s not dangerous, not if you’ve been honest so far. Just cross the bridge one at a time.”

“Just cross the bridge?” Jongho repeated, sounding sceptical.

“We can go first if you like,” the blue-haired girl said, waving a hand to gesture the other mages across. “Jun, go tell the priestess that we have visitors. I’ll bring them to the council chamber.” The brown-haired mage nodded and gestured for the other black-robed mages to follow him across.

Seonghwa watched with some unease, but each of the mages made it across without issue. He frowned to himself; something about this seemed… off. He wasn’t quite sure how to put his concern into words; it was just the niggling feeling in the back of his mind that warned him when something was not as it seemed.

The blue-hair girl turned to them with an expectant look. “Your turn.”

The five of them studied the bridge with concern for a silent moment, wondering how to proceed.

“It’s just a bridge; I’ll go first,” Jongho announced, walking forward a few steps before Seonghwa caught his arm and pulled him back. The master-gunner looked at him in surprise, but Seonghwa just shook his head and stepped forward.

“Let me,” he said, exchanging a glance with Hongjoong as he went. Seonghwa wasn’t sure what it was, but something in his gut was telling him that there was a trap lying ahead. It would be best for him to confirm it was safe before the crew crossed over.

As he walked towards the bridge, he leaned in to murmur in Hongjoong’s ear, “If I send up red sparks on the other side that means it’s not safe. If you see the sparks, take the crew and leave; don’t wait for me.”

Then he continued walking, hoping Hongjoong would heed his words. This was the best he could plan for in short notice to protect them.

He stepped onto the bride, hesitant at first then more sure when it looked like the wooden planks were holding his weight. He’d made it to the halfway across without incident when he noticed the fog thickening around him. His steps faltered as the vapours coalesced in front of him, the translucent image of a person forming in the air. The mage’s breath caught as spirit image flickered in and out of existence, before solidifying into a ghostly figure. It was a man clad in old-style robes, beard and pointed hat giving him appearance of a mage from a storybook.

Seonghwa heard the crew exclaim in surprise, but didn’t turn around. His eyes were fixed on the spirit image in front of him, muscles tensed with adrenaline.

‘It’s not a ghost, it’s just a manifestation of a spell,” he whispered to himself, repeating the words his sister had taught him. “It can’t hurt me.”

“What is it you seek, traveller?” The words were a whispering wind, echoing all around him. The air seemed colder, more chilling than it had been moments before.

Seonghwa took a breath for courage. “I seek entrance to the Sanctuary. I need the priestess’ help.”

“Is that so? Do you think you deserve the priestess’ help?” The spirit’s expression hadn’t changed, but the voice sounded louder.

Seonghwa fought to keep his calm when he said, “I don’t seek help for myself but for someone else. Someone deserving.”

The image of the spirit flickered for a few seconds before solidifying again. “Everything comes at a cost. Who will bear the price of this request?”

Seonghwa swallowed; so this was the catch. “I will,” he promised, voice soft but unhesitant.

“So be it,” the voice whispered. Then, just as fast as it had appeared, the image of the spirit vanished leaving behind no trace of its presence. 

It took Seonghwa a few moments to regain control of his limbs and he still felt a little rattled when he made it the other side. _Everything comes at a cost_ … He knew the spell would hold him to his word; there was a price to be paid for their entrance. He tried not to think about it.

The raven-haired mage shook his head and focused his attention back on the bridge, waiting with bated breath for the rest of the crew to cross over. Hongjoong was the first to cross, then Yeosang, Yunho and Jongho. He watched carefully but the spirit didn’t appear again. The pirates looked spooked but crossed the bridge with no problems. Seonghwa breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you alright? What was that?” Hongjoong demanded, as soon as he reached the other side.

“A protection spell,” Seonghwa replied, trying to sound more certain than he felt. “I think it’s designed to see if someone is telling the truth.”

“Not half-bad, little mage,” the blue-haired girl said, a mocking lilt to her voice as she joined them near the entrance. “That’s not quite right, but a better answer than I expected.”

“Enough,” Jongho snapped, seeming offended on his behalf. “We’ve passed your test. Where’s the entrance?”

“So impatient,” she tutted, raising an imperious eyebrow. “But if you insist; you’ll find the entrance is right in front of you.”

She gestured to the wall in front of them. The pirates looked at each other in disbelief. To most it would seem like the stone continued in a smooth, unbroken line; it took a mage to see past the glamour and realize that there was a gap in the wall about five feet in width.

“This is a wall,” Jongho bit out, looking like he was near the end of his rope.

Seonghwa opened his mouth to explain, but to his surprise the captain spoke before he could. “I think it’s an illusion. The stones are flickering a little bit, like they’re not real.”

The raven-haired mage blinked in surprise. It was rare for non-mages to see through glamours.

Even the blue-haired girl seemed a little taken aback.“You have good eyes,” she admitted somewhat grudgingly. “Most mortals can’t see through glamours, especially a powerful one like this.”

Yeosang looked intrigued, his careful eyes bright with interest. “How do we get through?”

“Just go straight through,” Seonghwa explained, “Hongjoong’s right, there's a gap in the wall where the stones aren't real. That's the entrance."

The pirates shot him a somewhat dubious glance, but listened to his words nonetheless. The crew approached the entrance, exclaiming in surprise when their bodies passed through the illusion with ease. Seonghwa paused for a moment. This was somewhere he'd dreamed of visiting for years now. After all the trouble it had taken them to get here, he was both excited and unnerved in equal measure. Taking a breath, he walked through the entrance.

His first thought upon entering the temple was _beautiful_. Inside the walls, individual buildings were spread out far into the mountainside. Just past the entrance, there was a series of intricate open-air pavilions surrounding a central courtyard. The various buildings seemed to be connected by long walkways covered with arching domed roofs. Everywhere he looked, there were little gardens and ponds and fountains; the air was filled with the scent of fresh growth.

The blue-haired girl didn't smile, but something in her features seemed to relax once they were inside. She gestured to their surroundings, voice more genuine than it had been thus far as she said, "Welcome to the Sanctuary."

Seonghwa stared, wonderstruck as the blue-haired girl led them through columned-archways, past various courtyards and ponds. Everywhere he looked, there was a new sight that caught his eye. All too soon they arrived at a set of large, ornate doors and the blue-haired girl came to stop in front of them.

“Only the two of you may enter the council chamber,” she said, pointing to him and Hongjoong. “The rest will wait outside.”

Seonghwa’s brows furrowed. “Why can’t everyone come?”

“In greater numbers there is a greater chance of lies; the truth is singular. The priestess needs only speak to one person to understand your story. He is their leader, that much is plain to see," she said gesturing to Hongjoong. Pointing to Seonghwa, she said, "You are their representative. You have vouched for them so you must stand for them.”

Hongjoong frowned, but the rest of the crew were quick to insist that they were fine with waiting outside.

The girl nodded her head, then said, “Jun will keep them company.” As she spoke, the brown-haired boy from before popped out of the shadows and bounced over to their group, a cheerful expression on his face. Seonghwa did not like being separated, but there seemed to be little he could do about it.

Satisfied with the arrangements, the girl opened the doors to the council chamber and strode inside. After exchanging a glance with the crew, he and Hongjoong entered as well, watching the doors close behind them.

Even with his aristocratic upbringing, the council chamber was perhaps the grandest room he'd ever seen. The ceiling stretched to an unbelievable height, columns and arches supporting the domed roof. The walls were decorated with intricate frescoes, all shades of gold and silver and black. There were floor to ceiling windows all alongside the west wall with stained glass mosaics that tinted the midmorning sunshine and fractured the light into a kaleidoscope of colours. Seonghwa marvelled at the remarkable architecture of this place, the amount of careful magic and craft it must have taken to construct such wonders. Then his eyes caught sight of the figure seated at the table in the centre of the room and all other thoughts fled his mind.

She was seated at a large round oak table that looked modern and out of place in the old-style decor of the temple complex. Her robes were a rich purple, decorated with shimmering gold and her delicate features made her seem ageless, the kind of face that could be either fifteen or fifty. She did not look surprised to see them; her expression did not betray much at all.

More than her appearance, what shocked Seonghwa was the overpowering aura of magic that rolled off her in waves; it was power unlike anything he’d seen before. His nerves heightened; he could feel the beginnings of panic descend upon him. If something happened, if the crew needed to fight, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to defend them. Someone brushed past his arm and the sensation startled him, pulling him from his thoughts. Seonghwa shook himself, digging his nails into his palms, hoping the pain would ground him. He couldn’t lose himself, he needed to keep a clear head right now.

“My lady, these travellers have come seeking information. Would you hear their plea?”

The priestess cocked her head to the side, considering them with shrewd eyes. The blue-haired girl seemed to be waiting for her verdict, so Seonghwa found himself waiting too, holding his breath in anticipation. If the priestess turned them away, he had no idea what their next step would be.

“I will,” she announced after a harrowing moment of silence, turning to address the mage who’d led them here. “Rose, go and see to the disciples. The afternoon patrol has just left and their class is still unsupervised.”

The blue-haired girl, Rose, hesitated, as if she didn’t trust them alone in the council room, but left without protest.

“Welcome,” the priestess began, voice courteous and cold. She did not seem pleased to have them here, but she didn’t seem displeased either. “I am the High Priestess of this temple; I guard all those who reside within its walls. Speak, travellers. What is your plea?”

Seonghwa wasn’t sure where to begin, but Hongjoong didn’t share his hesitation. He stepped forward and related their tale, starting from the letter he received and ending with their hope for directions.

“I know the men of whom you speak,” the priestess said, after a moment’s pause. “They came to the temple for the last full moon. It is as you said; their final destination was Utopia.”

Seonghwa reminded himself not to get his hopes up. This was just the first step of their quest. He found his voice. “Do you know what their reason was for coming to the temple?”  
  
The priestess’ eyes shifted back to him, and Seonghwa fought to maintain eye contact. “A ritual,” she said. “The obtainment of the lost compass.”  
  
Both he and Hongjoong inhaled as one; it was real then. The stories and fables were not just that. Seonghwa did not allow himself to ponder those implications for long. “Did it work? Did the ritual work?"  
  
The priestess blinked, slow and measured. “Your friends left our temple satisfied; I suppose that the ritual worked.”

Seonghwa frowned. “You didn’t conduct it?”

“It is not our job to intervene in the troubles of mortals; what the seekers wanted was information. We provided it to them."  
  
The raven-haired mage closed his eyes and prayed for patience. “What information? The instructions to the ritual?”  
  
“There is an old spell book, one of the first texts of our people. It contains much knowledge that is thought to be lost. In it, there is one such invocation that some have thought to be a call to ancient spirits that would guide a ship to treasured lands.”

Hongjoong looked close to pulling his hair out from frustration, but his voice was even-keeled when he asked, “Let me get this straight. You have a spell book that can summon the lost compass? And our friends used that spell and then left?”  
  
A slight inclination of her head, to signal agreement.

Seonghwa felt a shred of hope; it felt like they were getting closer to the information they needed. “So where did they go from here? Which direction did they travel?”

The priestess’ voice was firm, but not cruel when she said, “That, I cannot tell you.”

Hongjoong was not deterred. “Please,” he said, at once both deferent and defiant. “I will pay any price for the information.”

Before Seonghwa could tell him what a reckless promise that was, the priestess shook her head and spoke again. “Peace, young one,” her voice was a shade kinder and warmer than it had been before. “You misunderstand me; it is not that I don’t want to tell you, it is that I cannot. I myself do not know in which direction your friends travelled. The secrets of the compass are for those who hold it.”

Hongjoong frowned, then asked instead, “Can you tell me if they are safe? If they reached their destination without harm?”

The priestess looked sympathetic, but she still shook her head firmly. “I do not know. We have no way of knowing. Even our sight is limited. The path to treasure is always one filled with obstacles.”

“I don’t understand, what are you saying?”

The priestess didn’t sigh, but it looked as though she might have if she were someone else. “We don’t know if they are in danger, but they could be. We warned them of the risks; the decision in the end was theirs.”

Hongjoong blinked, and Seonghwa could see that he was taken aback. “You really— you don’t know?”

Something of a wry smile crossed the priestess’ lips, but was gone the next second. “I suppose it might be shocking, but there is still much knowledge that lies beyond my realm.”

“You’ve never tried the ritual yourself.” It was more a statement than a question, and Seonghwa could guess the answer before she said it.

”I have not,” the priestess confirmed, “for several reasons, least of which being I have no desire to find the treasure it leads to. As well, the ritual is not without its risks.”

Seonghwa nodded in understanding, but Hongjoong frowned. “What does that mean?”  
  
“As with any magic, there are possibilities of danger in the enchantment,” the priestess explained. “Mages have burned themselves out attempting spells that require more power than they have. I have seen it. I caution anyone who attempts such a spell to be aware of the dangers it poses.”

There was a moment of silence as Hongjoong digested this information. “So, where do we go from here? We still don’t know which direction to go next.”

The priestess raised tilted her head and looked considering. “The information is here, if you wish to find it.”

“Why don’t you just say what you mean instead of talking in circles?” Hongjoong snapped, clearly at the end of his wits. His eyes were fierce and now the mage could understand the moniker “Pirate King.” Staring down the priestess with fire in his eyes, Hongjoong looked every inch the ruthless force of nature the rumours spoke of him to be.

If she was taken aback by his sudden change in temper, she didn’t show it. “As you wish, young one. It is like this: I do not know the location of your friends, nor do I know if they have reached their destination safely. If you wish to follow your friends on their quest, I can give you the knowledge you need to obtain the lost compass as well, but I cannot promise you it will work nor I can promise that you will find what you need. All I can offer you is a chance. It is your choice if you wish to take it.”

Hongjoong frowned. “But it’s not my choice, is it?” he asked, looking at the priestess for confirmation. “Not entirely, anyway. After all, I’m not the one who’d perform the ritual.”

The priestess nodded. “You are correct,” she acknowledged. “The ritual must be performed by a mage.”

“I’ll do it,” Seonghwa offered, not pausing to think about his answer.

Hongjoong looked more than a little distressed. “Seonghwa, she said it might be dangerous. I can’t— I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking, I’m offering,” Seonghwa corrected. It had never been a question of whether he would agree or not; he was fast realizing there was precious little he wouldn’t do for the orange-haired pirate captain. Besides, Seonghwa knew that each spell had its risks but if he let that stop him, he would never have the chance to improve his skills as a mage.

Hongjoong shook his head. “It’s not just that,” he explained. “The rest of the journey will only be more dangerous. If the legends are anything close to the truth, there will only be more obstacles to come from here. I don’t know if its right to bring the rest of the crew along.”

The priestess interrupted before Seonghwa could offer his rebuttal to that point. “You may take some time to think about if you wish,” she suggested. “The ritual cannot be performed till an auspicious time.”

“Which is?” Seonghwa asked.  
  
She paused to consider. “The next one would be the half-moon, which rises in two nights time. You and your friends are welcome to shelter here till then.”

“Minghao!” she called, startling Seonghwa half to death when a boy leapt down from the ceiling where he’d apparently been perched. “Show these travellers to their quarters; they are to be treated as honoured guests. Understood?”

Minghao nodded, silent as a shadow. He moved to the door, gesturing for them to follow him.

Seonghwa turned to leave, but before he could the priestess called, "Little mage, I’d speak to you alone for a minute before you go."

The raven-haired mage startled, wondering if this was about what the voice on the bridge had said. _Everything comes for a cost..._ Hongjoong frowned too, as if he disliked the thought of leaving him alone. Despite himself, Seonghwa found his heart warmed at the captain’s protectiveness.

The priestess seemed amused. “I will return him in one piece, I promise.”

Hongjoong hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and turned to leave the room, sending one final concerned glance over his shoulder.

Seonghwa remained standing in front of the table, unsure what he should do next. The priestess seemed to note his unease. “Your friends won’t be harmed, I assure you.” Something of a sly smile stole over her face as she said, “I could swear on my magic if you’d like.”

Seonghwa startled. “No, I didn’t mean— that’s not—you don’t have to—”He paused and took a breath.”That’s not needed.”

The priestess looked more amused than he thought proper. “Ah, so you do understand the gravity of such a promise. The disciples were — let’s say shocked to hear you utter such an oath earlier.”

Seonghwa averted his eyes, not sure what the right response was. For a mage, swearing on their magic was the most serious oath one could make. It meant that if the person reneged on their words, their magic would be striped from them, slowly and painfully. It was a contract with the forces of magic itself and not to be taken lightly. Seonghwa had made such an oath only once before, on a night that would haunt him for the rest of life. He hoped this would not be the same.

The priestess took his silence as an answer. “That was not a condemnation, young warlock," she said. "Merely an expression of concern.”

Seonghwa bristled. _Who was this stranger to be concerned for him?_ “I knew what I was doing,” he snapped, fighting to keep his tone even.

The priestess just nodded. “Indeed; although I wonder what is it about those pirates that makes you so cavalier with yourself.”

Seonghwa’s head snapped up in shock. “You know— that they’re... they’re…”

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. They’d all taken care to avoid mentioning anything that might tip the mages off as to the true identity of the crew, but somehow…

“Pirates?" the priestess supplied. Her voice was a little melancholic when she said, "I have lived a long life, little one. There’s not much that I don’t see. It makes me wonder though, if you know what you’re getting into. Their captain, the orange-haired one?”

Seonghwa’s eyes narrowed. “What about him?”

“His kind have not been good to us in the past, I would advise you to take caution.”

“You think he’ll hurt me? Hongjoong would never hurt me,” he sputtered, indignant. Seonghwa hadn't realized how strongly he believed those words till he'd said them, but he suspected he'd felt that way for a while now. 

The priestess paused and seemed to consider her next words carefully. “I think he might not be aware of how his actions might hurt you,” she said finally. “You care for him, do you not?”

Seonghwa flushed, embarrassment at being so transparent warring with anger at the priestess’ assumption. He tried to tamp it down. “If you don’t trust him, then why did you offer to help?”

The priestess arched a delicate eyebrow. “Do you not think he deserves help?”

Seonghwa fought the urge to scream. “Of course I do! But you just said—-”

“It is true that many of his kind have hunted us,” she agreed, cutting him off. “Perhaps some mages would think me a traitor for helping him. But what I see is a person’s intensions, their heart. I could see no malice in his. Just foolishness, perhaps; and much sorrow.”

Seonghwa remained silent; it was not his place to reveal Hongjoong’s own sufferings.

The priestess clucked her tongue, a shockingly casual gesture in comparison to her previous formality. “Don’t look so sullen; I’m only advising you to be careful. The ritual you’re looking to conduct takes a lot from you; be sure that you know your heart well before you attempt it. Once you’ve begun, you cannot waver.

Seonghwa bit back his first response and then said with as much politeness as he could manage, “I’ll take it into consideration.”

The priestess seemed to realize he was done with the conversation. “Go on then, little mage,” she said, waving a hand to dismiss him. “Let me know what decision you come to.”

Seonghwa nodded at her, then turned to leave. He paused outside the doors wondering how he was supposed to find the crew, when brown-haired boy from before —Jun— materialized again from the shadows. Seonghwa tried not to startle but based on the other boy’s smirk, he wasn’t successful.

The boy gestured for him to follow, then turned and started walking. _Not one for conversation then._

Seonghwa followed the boy in silence, too caught up in the priestess’ words to admire the beautiful courtyards and gardens this time around. He barely noticed when they arrived at a suite of guest rooms, his guide pointing him to a set of doors before taking his leave.

Seonghwa pushed open the doors, watching as the crew inside turned their heads towards the source of the noise in one synchronized movement. The raven-haired mage managed a small smile as he walked over to join them.

Compared to the rest of the temple, these guest rooms had a rather minimalistic tone. The walls were bare and the furniture in the room was limited to a few sleeping mats stacked in the corners and a small table in the centre of the room where the crew was sitting. The instant he sat down, he was bombarded with three voices asking variations of the same question. “What happened? What did she want to talk about?”

Seonghwa swallowed, then said. “Not much, just wondering what kind of magical training I’d had.” A lie, but a small one.

The crew seemed to accept that answer. From where he was seated next to him, Jongho asked, “What about the Black Swan?” 

Seonghwa frowned. He’d assumed the captain would have filled them in on the priestess’ information. “Hongjoong didn’t tell you?”

Yeosang shot a glare in the captain’s direction, who'd remained silent till now. “Hongjoong-hyung doesn’t think we should be involved. He thinks it’s too dangerous. He wants us to go back to the village and wait at the inn.”

Seonghwa looked across the table. The pirate captain had his shoulders drawn tight with tension, and didn’t look up from the table as he replied, “It is too dangerous.”

Yunho sighed, looking as close to frustrated as Seonghwa had ever seen him. “The two of them have been going back and forth for the past half-hour. I’m hoping you can talk some sense into them.”

Yeosang growled. “I’m making perfect sense. Hongjoong-hyung is the one who refuses to tell us what’s going on! How can we decide what to do next if you won’t tell us what happened with the priestess?”

Seonghwa opened his mouth to answer, but the pirate captain snapped back before he could speak. “I don’t need to explain the reasoning behind each decision I make! I’m the captain, in case you’ve forgotten! If I’m telling you not to get involved, its because I know what’s best. Just trust me and let me take care of this.”

“Hyung, it’s not that we don’t trust you,” Jongho interrupted, taking care to keep his voice calm. “We’re just worried about you. We want to help, that’s why we’re here. How can we help you, or the Black Swan, if we don’t know what your plan is?”

Yeosang made a noise of agreement. “Hyung, I know you want to protect us, but we are capable of making our own choices. If we choose to follow you, it is because we have faith that you won’t lead us wrong.”

“Then listen to what I’m saying and don’t get involved,” Hongjoong snapped, standing up and walking to the door. “I’ve made my decision. If I go to find the Black Swan, I’ll be doing it alone.”

The orange-haired pirate stomped out of the room, slamming the door as he went. The remaining crew exchanged tired glances, but none of them made a move to follow the captain.

“Should I— that is, shouldn’t someone go after him?” The mage asked, after a moment’s silence.

Yunho hesitated for a moment, before shaking his head. “Hongjoong-hyung gets like this sometimes,” he confessed, furrowed eyebrows revealing his concern. “We’ve tried talking to him and it doesn’t work out so well. Although…” Here he paused, giving the mage an appraising glance. “Perhaps you would have better luck.”

Seonghwa felt his cheeks heat, but ignored it. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think he wants us to leave. I think he’s just scared of what could happen. The trip doesn’t sound like it’ll be all that safe.”

Yeosang rolled his eyes. “We’re pirates, there’s nothing safe about what we do. If we’re all here, it means we’re prepared to take that risk. Just because he’s our captain doesn’t mean he can make that choice for us. Free will — that’s the fundamental principle we all believe in. Hongjoong-hyung knows that too. He can’t make us leave; he’ll just sulk about it for a while, then realize that I was right.”

Jongho raised an eyebrow. “That _we_ were right, you mean.”

Yeosang shrugged. “Same thing,” he said. Then he turned to Seonghwa, smiling a bit as he said, “Hongjoong-hyung doesn't always make the best decisions when he's angry; perhaps you should make sure he hasn’t offended our hosts.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Seonghwa protested, but stood up from the table anyway. He welcomed any reason to spend more time with the captain. The crew raised their eyebrows at his quick compliance, but mercifully didn’t say anything about it.

It took him a little while and a couple wrong turns before he managed to catch sight of Hongjoong. The pirate captain had made his way back to the central courtyard they’d passed on their way into the temple, standing contemplatively in front of the lotus pond. Seonghwa walked over to stand next to him, wondering if should wait for the captain to speak first.

He didn’t have to wait for long. After a few beats of silence, Hongjoong sighed, then said, “Did the kids send you to find me?”

Seonghwa hesitated, then decided to be honest. “No, I just wanted to see if you were alright.”

Hongjoong looked resigned. “I’m fine,” he promised. “I just wish they would listen to me for once.”

Seonghwa said nothing, but Hongjoong seemed to read his silence. “You think they’re right?”

The mage choose his next words with care, not wanting to upset the captain further but not wanting to lie either. “I think Yeosang has a point; everyone should be allowed to chose their fate for themselves. Isn’t that what you’ve always believed? Doesn’t your crew have that same right to choose?

Hongjoong ran an agitated hand through his hair. “I just — I don’t even know if we should keep trying to find the Black Swan. What if the ritual doesn't even work? What if the compass doesn’t even work? What if Namjoon and the others aren’t in Utopia? Or what if they are but they don't need help? There's so much I'm unsure of; I don't want to put the crew in danger for no reason.”

 _That was a good point, but…_ “What if all does work? What if the Black Swan is in danger? Would you be able to forgive yourself if you'd given up without even trying? This— this is a chance. The best one we have right now.”  
  
The captain considered that. “You think we should keep going? Perform the ritual, get the compass and find Utopia.” It wasn’t a question; Hongjoong could read the answer in the mage’s eyes.

“I think if you didn’t do everything you could right now, you would regret it later,” Seonghwa said, keeping his gaze steady. “I know this voyage will be dangerous. I know there’s a risk that it would be for nothing. I just think it’s a risk worth taking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I know this is super late, but everything got super crazy with uni and exams... Thank you so much for being patient! Hopefully I'll be posting more often now that its winter break! 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter! :)


	10. Half-Moon Rituals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong did not stop to think. Later, he would wonder at himself for the impulsive decision, but in the moment — in the moment, he registered nothing except for the pain on Seonghwa’s face and the helpless fear creeping into his own heart. He dove forward, throwing off Jongho’s arm and ignoring the cries of the rest of the other two. He felt the faint shock of magic that reverberated through his bones as he dashed past the protective circle, but didn’t stop to let it register.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "To deny our impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human." -Lana & Lilly Wachowski

Yunho was still impressed that the mage had managed to talk Hongjoong around in such a short time; the captain had returned to their guest rooms considerably calmer than when he’d left. With a few interjections from Seonghwa, he explained the priestess’ words and their plan for the next few days.

He listened to the pair’s ideas; it wasn’t a bad plan. There were more unknown variables than he’d prefer, but he agreed that given their situation it was likely the best that they could hope for. This quest to find Utopia… the medic wasn’t sure what he expected to be at the end of the voyage. He wasn’t sure he believed in the existence of such a magical island at all; but Hongjoong did and Yunho believed in Hongjoong above all else.

It was clear the rest of the crew felt the same, because there were no objections to the plan. Now, all that was left was to decide what to do with their time until the ritual. Seonghwa told them that the spell couldn’t be performed until tomorrow night, so the crew discussed their options.

“Should someone go back to the village and tell the rest of the crew that it will take us a few days to complete the ritual?” Seonghwa suggested, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Hongjoong shook his head. “San knows to give us a week before he comes looking; we’ll have enough to time to return before then so I don’t think we should split up. The forest wasn’t too safe on our way here.”

Yunho agreed; he didn’t particularly like the idea of trekking back through the forest alone. But on the other hand, he wasn’t quite sure he liked the idea of staying _here_ either. He wasn’t afraid, per se but there was something mysterious about the temple.

The rest of the crew seemed to feel it to, because everyone stuck close together that first night. The mages invited the pirates to join them in the dining hall for meals, but otherwise seemed content to leave their visitors alone for the most part. The five of them retired to their rooms in silence, tired from the trek and willing to call it an early night.

Now, it was some ungodly hour of the morning and Yunho was unfortunately awake, staring intently at the door to their guest rooms because for a second, it looked like someone had walked past their room. He squinted; the faint light filtering into the room wasn’t enough to be able to make out the shape clearly. He hesitated for a minute, then sat up from his sleeping mat. It was probably nothing, but just in case…

The medic stepped around his sleeping crew-mates, careful to keep his footsteps light. The temple looked different at this hour, less majestic and more mysterious. Yunho was reminded all at once of the old, twisted willow in the forest; there was something almost life-like about the shadows here.

He stepped out of their guest rooms, eyes darting to find the source of the movement. To his surprise, there was a familiar figure slumped against the pillars outside.

“Seonghwa? What are you doing up?” Yunho knew the mage often woke early, used to seeing him on the deck by the time the medic made his way up in the mornings but this was a little earlier than he’d expected.

The mage turned to face him, eyes somehow vacant and far-away. There was a lit oil lamp at his side, and a stack of texts scattered around him. It looked like he’d been there for a while. The flickering lamplight made odd shadows dance across the mage’s blank face, his expression unreadable in the darkness.

Despite himself, unease twisted in Yunho’s stomach. The mage looked different without his usual gentle smile; an unknowable power in the shape of their friend. “Seonghwa?”

There was a moment of tense silence. Then—

“Yunho,” Seonghwa said, eyes coming back to the present. His voice sounded normal, if a little tired. “Sorry, did I wake you up?”

Yunho breathed an imperceptible sigh of relief. He was much more familiar with this version of the mage, the careful kindness and warmth of his voice.“No, I was up anyway. Are you— is everything alright?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes of course. I’m just doing some last minute reading for the ritual,” the mage said, attempting a smile. It looked almost convincing; if the medic hadn’t seen the fatigue that was there moments earlier, he wasn’t sure he would have noticed anything off about it.

Yunho frowned. He understood the need to push oneself; the fact was that sometimes that meant sacrificing a night’s sleep. He himself had pulled all-nighters before when the situation called for it. But there was something about the mage’s posture and the blank look in his eyes that suggested a different problem.

Yunho paused, contemplating how far he wanted to push. If this was another member of the crew, Yunho wouldn’t hesitate to make his thoughts clear. In fact, he had yelled at more than one member in the past to put down their work and go to bed. But Yunho didn’t know the mage that well, hadn’t spent a lot of time with him one-on-one.

He decided to start with a more gentle approach. “Have you been up all night? Shouldn’t you get some rest before the ritual?”

Seonghwa averted his eyes. “Not— not all night,” he protested, though it sounded as if he didn’t quite believe his words either.

Yunho sighed, then went to go sit down at the mage’s side. Seonghwa stiffened for a second, then seemed to force himself to relax.

“Is there a reason you can’t sleep?” he asked, voice soft. When he didn’t get a response, he continued, “If its nightmares, I have a tonic that might help.”

The mage seemed to close off further, expression blanking. “I’m just preparing for the ritual. One night without sleep isn’t going to make a difference.”

The medic narrowed his eyes, but kept his voice calm. “I admit I don’t know much about magic, but I’m sure even one night without sleep isn’t great if you’re planning on expending a good deal of energy the next day.”

“Well, I’d love to go to sleep too, but I just _can’t_ , alright?!” 

The medic blinked at the sudden shout, more than a little surprised. The mage must have been at the end of his rope to explode like that. Yunho made sure to keep his voice soft and free of judgement. “Is this a recent problem or…”

Seonghwa seemed surprised with himself too. He fidgeted against the wall, looking uncomfortable. “I— I’ve always had trouble sleeping when I was stressed or anxious or — I _do_ have nightmares, sometimes,” he admitted, the words rushing out of him like he needed to say this all at once before he lost his courage. “But this isn’t about that, I don’t think. I’m just worried that I won’t be able to do the ritual. It’s the most difficult spell I’ve ever attempted and I’m scared I’m going to mess it up.”

Yunho remained quiet, hoping the mage would feel comfortable to keep sharing.

The mage sighed, looking more than a little defeated. “Everyone’s counting on me and if something goes wrong — if we don’t get the lost compass, that’s on me.”

Yunho smothered the urge to sigh in exasperation. _Self-sacrificing idiots, the lot of them…_ “With all due respect, that’s bullshit.”

Seonghwa turned to stare at him, wide-eyed. “What?”

Yunho rolled his eyes. _Screw the gentle approach, it was time for some tough love_. “I’m sure there’s a lot of pressure on you; I don’t envy that at all. But we’re a crew, a team. Even if you’re the one conducting the ritual, it is not your sole responsibility. If something goes wrong, that’s on all of us.”

The mage looked like he was about to protest, so Yunho continued. “Let me put it like this: was finding the temple all your doing?”

Seonghwa was quick to shake his head. “Of course not, we all got here together—”

“Then why would not getting the compass be all your fault?” When Seonghwa didn’t have an immediate response for that, the medic continued. “Our victories, our losses, we take all of them together. Whatever happens tonight, we’ll figure it out together. That’s what being part of a crew means.”

Seonghwa was silent as he digested the medic’s words. Then he smiled, small and wan but _real_. “You’re pretty smart, Yunho.”

The medic smiled back, glad to have helped his crew-mate, his _friend_. “With this crew, someone has to be,” he replied, pleased when his tease drew a huff of laughter from the mage.

The medic stood up from the floor, wincing as his muscles protested the movement. “Come on, I’m sending you to bed,” he said, pulling the mage up as well. “I don’t want to see you up before noon. I expect a full eight hours, alright? Doctor’s orders.”

***

  
Despite his own advice, Yunho found himself wide awake after sending the mage to bed. It was the odd in between-time of the morning, too late to go back to sleep but early enough that no one else was awake. He drifted quietly through the corridors, unsure what to do with his time. On the ship, he’d be organizing the medic’s cabin or helping out in the kitchens; he wasn’t used to being idle like this. 

Once the others (minus Seonghwa who was still sleeping) woke up, he joined them for breakfast in the dining hall and then followed them outside when Jongho and Hongjoong decided to take the chance to practice their sword forms. Yeosang had been dragged along as well despite his complaints so all four of them trained for some time, but Yunho tired of it soon.

He could hold his own with a sword, but he wasn’t anywhere near as trained as the captain or the master gunner. Though to be honest, Yunho didn’t have the same interest in swordsmanship either. He understood that some measure of violence would be present in their lives as pirates, but he’d always preferred to leave the fighting to others. He was much happier in the medic’s cabin, healing what he could and experimenting with new kinds of medicines.

He left the others to their training and found himself wandering the temple corridors again, stopping to admire the various fountains and gardens. Since he’d joined the pirate ship, he’d spent most of his time on the ocean. He didn’t mind it, but there was a certain relief that came with being on land again.

Yunho had just circled around to the opposite side of the main courtyard when a commotion in one of the rooms caught his eye. He walked towards the noise and paused at the entrance to the room, curious despite himself.

In the room, there was a group of disciples clustered around a practice mannequin resting on a large wooden worktable. There was a woman in dark blue robes at the head of the table; her hands were calm and practised as she demonstrated the proper way to stitch a wound together.

Yunho was surprised. He’d studied some surgical practice himself, but the method was new and few people advocated its use. He’d been limited to what he could glean from foreign texts and the occasional travelling doctor.

The women finished her explanation and handed out supplies for the disciples to practise. Then, she turned towards the door and beckoned Yunho into the room.

Yunho hesitated, then entered the room with caution. Would the mage scold him for sticking his nose where it didn’t belong?

He walked over to the table with trepidation. The woman in blue robes looked to be around his age, her dark hair tied back in a practical bun. To his surprise, she didn’t look mad at his intrusion. “Welcome. I’m Yanli, the head medic at the temple. Would you like to join our class?”

Yunho floundered for a second. “I’m not a mage,” he explained, though he thought that it would be evident.

Yanli shook her head, voice soft but firm. “There’s no need to be one. We practice techniques that everyone can use, mortals and mages alike. If you’re interested, you’d be welcome to learn.”

“In that case, I’d be honoured,” he replied, genuine excitement leaking into his voice. Perhaps some would have balked at learning strange new medical practices, but Yunho was of the belief that all knowledge could be useful. When the balance of people’s lives hung in your hands, it didn’t matter where you learned what you learned as long as you could save them. If there was something he could learn from the mages that would help him heal his crew later down the road, then it would be in his best interest to learn it.

Yanli smiled and handed him supplies before directing him to one of the workstations. The disciples at the table looked up, but didn’t spare him more than a glance. Yunho shrugged and set himself to practise. The needle was thin and it was harder than he’d expected to run his stitches in a neat line.

The instructor walked around the room, helping correct techniques and suggesting improvements to their hand positions. When she reached Yunho’s table, she raised her eyebrows at his work.

“You’ve practised this before?”

He nodded. “Once or twice, but it’s hard to find books with instructions or techniques. I travel a lot though, so I’ve seen it used in some of the more modern towns.”

She hummed, inspecting his stitches with a careful eye. “The length isn’t bad, but you need to be more consistent in your spacing. If you leave large gaps between the stitches, the wound might reopen. Otherwise, not half-bad.”

Then, she moved onto to the next table while the medic attempted to improve his sutures. The next hour passed in companionable silence and the disciples were moving to their next class before he realized.

The mage was waiting at the head table when he walked up to return his borrowed tools. She accepted them from him with a kind smile. “Did you find the lesson instructive?”

“Of course!” Yunho agreed at once, nodding his head with enthusiasm. “I didn’t know there would be medics here as well.”

Yanli smiled, a teasing note to her voice. “Mages bleed and break just like everyone else. We’re not immortal.”

Yunho pouted good-naturedly, inwardly pleased to note that at least someone at the temple had a sense of humour. “I know, I just meant that I expected the lessons to involve more… magic, I guess. Even regular people can learn suturing.”

She shook her head. “That’s a common misconception about magic. We can’t just snap our fingers and fix the damage. Medics here are taught much the same as medics in the outside world. We use salves and bandages and stitches. Magic might be used as a last resort, if there’s no other option.”

Yunho tilted his head, confused. “How come?”

“There are several reasons,” Yanli explained. “First, it takes an immense amount of power to heal even something as small as a cut. The simple truth is that most mages don’t have that kind of power to spare. Even for those that have the power, directing that magic to heal the exact location of the wound requires skill and careful practice. It’s not simple and if done wrong, can cause more harm than good.”

He hummed, thoughtful. “So, if someone wanted to heal a broken bone with magic…”

Yanli nodded. “It could be done,” she admitted. “But it would come at great cost to the mage. Think about how much energy the body expends in healing a broken bone over a period of months. Now imagine expending all that energy in a few minutes; your body likely wouldn’t be able to take the strain.”

He nodded, thinking over the mage’s words. “That makes sense,” he admitted. “I guess I’d never considered the cost of magic before.”

“Magic must obey the laws of the universe just like everything else; if you want to get something, you must give something of equal value. The law of equal exchange is the governing principle of all magic.”

Yunho nodded, contemplative. There was so much about magic he didn’t know. Though to be honest, he’d never had much need to think about it before. Now, things were changing. With the disappearance of the Black Swan, Seonghwa joining their crew and the increasing involvement of magic in their lives, Yunho could tell their crew was on the edge of… something. Something unknown and dangerous. He could feel it in his bones. Call it instinct, call it a hunch, call it ridiculous superstition. Whatever it was, he needed to be prepared for whatever challenges awaited them.

He turned to Yanli, who regarded him with a patient smile. “Do you mind if I ask you some more questions?”

***

The moon had just started its ascent when Hongjoong knocked on the door of their guest rooms, hoping the mage was here as the brown-haired disciple said he’d be. Once the mage had woken up (after a full eight-hours, as per Yunho’s request), he’d been been offered the chance to sit in on the disciples’ lessons. Yeosang and Yunho had decided to tag along as well, finding the disciples reluctantly willing to answer their seemingly endless questions. Hongjoong and Jongho had been left to their own devices and since neither fancied the idea of sitting in a classroom for hours, the pair amused them amused themselves exploring the forests just outside the temple walls. Everyone had reconvened at dinner time, except for the mage so afterwards Hongjoong had been sent to find him.

“Come in!”

Hongjoong walked inside, frowning in confusion when he didn’t see anyone inside. Before he could panic, Seonghwa’s voice floated in from behind a folding screen set in the corner of the room. “Thank gods! I was just about to ask for you. I think I’ll need some help, these runes are harder than I thought.”

The mage’s voice was petulant, bordering on being a whine. Hongjoong should not have found it as cute as he did. He heard more rustling from behind the divider and Seonghwa spoke up again.

“Yeosang? Did you hear what I — oh, Hongjoong!”

Seonghwa made his way out from behind the screen, voice trailing off as he realized who had knocked on the door. He looked much more well-rested than he’d been yesterday, but that wasn't what had drawn Hongjoong's attention. The mage was wearing soft black drawstring pants and had his shirt clutched in his hand. His bare chest was exposed, skin like warm gold in the candlelight. Hongjoong stared, more than a little dumbfounded.

“Hongjoong? Did you need something?”

He wanted to respond, make some kind of excuse, but he found himself tongue-tied, unable to form words.

Seonghwa walked closer, and Hongjoong felt his eyes drawn back to the other man’s chest, helpless to stop himself. It should be illegal to look like that, a part of him mused absentmindedly.

“Hongjoong? Are you okay?” The raven-haired mage was standing in front of him now, voice sounding concerned. His eyebrows were furrowed, mouth twisting into the slightest hint of a frown.

The orange-haired pirate captain closed his eyes for a second, and tried to gather himself. “I’m— I’m fine,” he managed, wincing when his voice came out around three octaves too high.

Seonghwa still looked bemused, but he accepted the answer with a nod. “What are you doing here?"

Then, Hongjoong remembered his reason for seeking out the mage. ”We missed you at dinner and the crew wanted to know where you were.” He was relieved when his voice managed to come out more or less normal.

Hongjoong cast his eyes about the room, looking for a distraction. His gaze fell on the large tome and various wooden bowls scattered across the surface of the table. He frowned, curious. "Is that for the ritual?"

Seonghwa followed his gaze. "Mmm, kind of. This is preparation for the incantation." He walked over the table and picked up the book, showing Hongjoong the page it had been opened to. On the paper, beautiful designs and shapes were inked, each with a description in a language Hongjoong didn't know.

"These runes can be painted or carved onto different surfaces to be activated," Seonghwa explained. "Its one of the methods that mages use to channel their power. The different shapes of the runes give them their power; some people call it the language of magic"  
  
Hongjoong hummed in understanding. Now that he took a closer look, the symbols did look similar to those etched onto Seonghwa's daggers. "What are they for?"

"Lots of things, but typically most runes are for protection. Since it takes time to draw them out, runes are more useful as a defence than in spur-of-the-moment situations. In this case, it's tradition for mages to wear protective runes before attempting an important ritual or spell. It can help focus our energies and protect against magical backlash."

Hongjoong blinked. "Is that likely? Magical backlash?" 

Seonghwa shrugged. "Perhaps. No spell is without its risks." Hongjoong's expression must have reflected his concern, because the mage smiled at him reassuringly. "Its fine, Hongjoong. I've studied the incantation and taken precautions. Everything should go according to plan."

The orange-haired pirate nodded, but still felt unsure. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

If Hongjoong hadn’t been watching as closely as he was, he wouldn’t have noticed the way Seonghwa hesitated for a split second before shaking his head.

“There is something, isn’t there?” he pushed, giving Seonghwa his best _I’m-the-Captain-so-you-have-to-listen-to-me_ expression. “What is it?”

Seonghwa pursed his lips. He looked like he was considering staying silent before he noticed the resolve on Hongjoong’s face.

“I could use some help with the runes,” the mage admitted, after a moment’s pause.

Hongjoong blinked. He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but that sounded simple enough. He wondered why the mage looked so out of his comfort zone.

“Of course,” Hongjoong agreed. “What do you need me to do?”

The raven-haired mage hesitated again. “The runes are supposed to be painted onto our skin; that’s what the ink is for.”

 _Oh_.

Hongjoong's eyes trailed back to the other man's chest. He cleared his throat. “Right— ok—so— just—where exactly…?”

He trailed off, not sure how to finish his question. 

“It’s supposed to be— that is, traditionally the runes were painted on one’s back,” the raven-haired mage managed.

“I can— I mean, that’s fine. I can help you with that,” he murmured, gaze fixed on the floor.

There was a pause and Hongjoong made the mistake of looking up. Seonghwa’s hair was messier than usual, tousled locks covering his forehead. His cheeks were flushed a delicate pink that didn’t help the captain’s focus. He swallowed and tried to ignore the thoughts that were flashing through his mind.

“You should sit down,” he said, instead. “I think you’re too tall otherwise.”

Seonghwa huffed, a teasing smile on his lips. “Perhaps you’re just too short?”

Hongjoong made a show of rolling his eyes and the mage laughed, tension easing a little with the familiar banter.

Seonghwa took a seat at the table, placing the book off to the side where the orange-haired pirate would be able to see it. Hongjoong knelt behind him, leaning forward to pick up the nearest wooden bowl. It was filled with what looked like regular ink, but when Hongjoong dipped a finger in the liquid contemplatively he found that the dye was thicker than he’d expected. The paint was a rich, startling black. Hongjoong thought it would make for a vibrant contrast on Seonghwa's skin.

The pirate captain nodded to himself. He could do this. He would just trace the design onto Seonghwa’s back. Like a professional. Even though he was so close he could feel the warmth of the mage’s skin—

His train of thought came to a screeching halt.

 _Don’t be weird_ , he told himself sternly. “Is there a specific rune I should start with?”

Seonghwa reached a hand forward to point at a design in the book, a simple looking rune with three connected spirals. “This is one of the first runes a mage learns,” he said, tapping at the page. “It helps focus our power and centre our magic. It— it should be drawn between the shoulder-blades.”

Hongjoong nodded, then realized the mage couldn’t see him. “I’ll start, then.” His voice came out softer than before; this moment felt fragile, like it could be shattered if he spoke too loud.

He dipped his fingers in the paint again, waiting for the excess to drip off. He studied the rune in the book, memorizing its shape before bringing his hand to the mage’s skin.

The first touch—sparked. There was a crackle of _something_ that had him blinking in shock. In front of him, the mage flinched as well, muscles tensing in surprise.

Hongjoong startled even more at the unconcealed reaction, so used to the gentle mask of control that the mage wore at all times. He realized all at once how much trust Seonghwa was placing in him to be this unguarded; Hongjoong couldn't mess this up. He took a deep breath and forced his hands to stop shaking, then continued to paint. The spirals of the rune found their place on the mage’s back first and then he added the sharp angular lines of what the mage called the protection rune. It was more complicated than the first one and required all of his concentration to replicate. He kept going, memorizing the shapes of the runes as the mage pointed them out one at a time: _protection, equilibrium, awareness, precision, guidance._

Hongjoong kept his touches feather light as much as was possible, skating his fingers over the other’s skin. Even then he could feel the mage’s shifting muscles, the jut of his shoulder blades and the knobs of his spine. He became aware of the synchronization of their breaths and the subtle changes in posture that revealed the other’s thoughts. It was, perhaps, the most intimate he’d ever been with another person and it wasn’t even— it wasn’t even _that_ kind of intimacy.

“Done,” he said, seconds or minutes or hours later. He’d stopped being aware of time at some point, lost in the meditative rhythm of black ink and golden skin.

Hongjoong stood up and became aware of the stiffness in his knees. He took a step back and inhaled, taking in the design in its completed form. Hongjoong was no artist, but he had to admit he’d done a decent job. The lines of the runes were bold, firm and unhesitant much like the mage that wore them. The sweeping curves and careful edges made a painting of the other man’s back, artwork that rippled and shifted as he moved. Hongjoong was enchanted.

The soft light of the candles didn't help matters. The warmth just highlighted the mage's toned muscles, his tussled black hair and the intent expression on his face as he turned to face the pirate captain. His eyes were dark with emotion and his usual mask of gentle calm was nowhere to be found.

“How do I look?” Seonghwa’s voice was outwardly teasing, but underneath there was something real, something vulnerable.

Hongjoong met his gaze without backing down. “Beautiful,” he admitted, not embarrassed like he thought he might have been. There was no room for shame in what he felt; it had been replaced with wonder and longing and the slow, sweet swell of affection that threatened to overwhelm him.

Seonghwa ducked his head, like he hadn’t been expecting an honest answer. The tips of his ears had flushed red, his smile soft and breathtaking.

He watched as the mage slipped back into his soft, white cotton shirt. This sight was so domestic; it spoke of long acquaintance and a casual affection that stole his breath anew and kindled the low flame that had burned inside him since he’d met the raven-haired man.

Hongjoong had no experience with this kind of longing. He'd never known what it was to want someone like this, with so much fervour it ached. _What_ _a dangerous magic, Seonghwa._

“You’ll be careful, tonight.” The words slipped out before he could stop them; he hadn’t quite realized the depth of his fear until then. Hongjoong needed a promise, reassurance of something he couldn’t quite put a name to.

Seonghwa stilled, looking up at the captain from underneath his lashes. “I’ll be as careful as I can be,” he promised.

Hongjoong stared hard at him; he’d noticed the careful wording of that particular promise, but also recognized the earnestness in the mage’s voice.

The door swung open before he could decide whether to push the matter and the other members of the crew filed into the room with various greetings.

“Seonghwa!” “Where did you guys disappear off to?” “The moon will rise soon, we should make our way to the temple.”

Their entrance shattered the quiet comfort that had enveloped them till then; Hongjoong stepped back from the mage and tried not to let the disappointment show.

“Do you have everything you need?” Yeosang asked the mage, blinking at him with curious eyes.

Seonghwa nodded at him, grabbing the other wooden bowls scattered across the table. “I just need the compass,” he said, turning to Hongjoong.

The captain nodded, pulling out the bronze compass from his coat pocket. He ran his fingers over the cover, then flipped it open to ensure that it was still working. The needle inside spun wild for a moment, before returning to its proper northward bound inclination.

The design itself was nothing special; a decent make that he’d picked up at a market in some seafaring town or the other a few years prior. Seonghwa’d reassured him that it was fine; as long the compass functioned as a compass should, it would work for the ritual.

He handed the device to the mage who took it with careful hands. He faced the pirates with a determined expression. “Let’s do this.”

***

The crew walked towards the temple, situated towards the furthest corners of the mountainside complex. It was a cold and clear night, skies glittering bright and beautiful above them.

Hongjoong shivered, trying to stop himself from imagining the worst. Part of him wanted to call of the whole plan, grab the mage and his crew and take them back to the ship where he could keep them all safe. Protected and out of danger.

For a brief moment, he was tempted. Then, his better senses returned. However much he’d like to, Hongjoong couldn’t keep his crew sheltered from the world forever. Their lives meant danger was a constant companion; the most Hongjoong could do was make sure that he stood at their side when trouble came knocking.

He didn’t have a chance to ponder further, because the crew had arrived at the temple. It was an old stone structure that looked centuries older than the rest of the buildings in the complex. It appeared to be well-maintained, but signs of wear and tear were visible in the columns and arches.

Seonghwa walked inside past the entrance arch first, the crew following his footsteps with some hesitation. Even without magic, Hongjoong could tell that it was a sacred place. The chamber felt alive with power.

“Welcome to the ancient temple,” a voice called, startling Hongjoong out of his skin. He spun around, surprised to see the priestess at the entrance to the temple, cloaked in night black robes that made it almost impossible to distinguish her from the shadows.

“There have been few outsiders to set foot inside, fewer mortals still,” she continued, expression unreadable in the dark night. Her voice didn’t reveal much, but Hongjoong recognized the second statement for the warning that it was.

The priestess turned towards Seonghwa, running an appraising eye over the materials in his hands. “I hope you’ve prepared.”

Seonghwa nodded, his mask of calm still in place. The priestess nodded as well, tone just a shade warmer as she said, “Then I wish you all the best of luck. May the fates be kind to you tonight.”

Without another word, she turned and left just as suddenly as she’d arrived. Hongjoong exchanged nervous glances with the crew at her departure; it wasn't quite the show of support he'd been hoping for. Still, it would have to do; the moonlight was filtering bright through the columns and onto the marble floor; it was time.

Seonghwa walked towards to centre of the temple, the pirates sticking closer to walls and watching with anxious eyes. First, he brought out the bowl of ink he’d carried to the temple. With neat strokes, he drew a large circle on the temple floor and completed the design with a rune at the point where the ends met. Hongjoong frowned, recognizing the design from the book. _Protection,_ he realized.

The rune flared bright gold for a second, then faded leaving an unbroken circle.

Seonghwa turned to face them, voice serious as he said, “Whatever happens, don’t cross this line. It will keep the magic contained, but that only works as long as you stay outside of the circle.”

Hongjoong frowned, because that circle didn’t give _Seonghwa_ any protection and he was the one risking himself for the spell and this wasn't at all what he'd meant when he'd told the mage to be careful. Hongjoong took half a step forward, protest at the tip of his tongue but the mage didn't wait to hear it. He nodded at them one last time and stepped inside the circle.

The pirate captain watched, wide-eyed and silent, as the raven-haired mage knelt at the centre of the circle, placing the compass carefully on the ground before him

Taking a breath, the raven-haired mage began his incantation.

_L’eau pour nettoyer, la terre pour stabiliser, le feu pour s’enflammer, l’air pour soutenir - je lie ces éléments sous la lumière de la lune et je demande à son esprit de témoigner des pouvoirs que j’invoque ce nuit._

His voice was soft as he placed small bowls at each of the cardinal directions around the circle. He started with a bowl of water to the east, a bowl of earth to the south, a bowl with a lit candle to the west and an empty bowl to the north.

_Avec un esprit que j’invoque, avec un esprit que je dirige, avec un cœur que je désire - que la magie entende cet appel. Laissez la magie trouver le chemin. Laissez la magie guider ce trésor vers un refuge sûr._

Hongjoong watched as Seonghwa picked up the compass in his hands and closed his eyes, voice still soft and melodic.

_Laissez la magie répondre à cette prière. Laissez la magie montrer le chemin. Laissez la magie protéger ce trésor avec tout ce que j’ai._

Hongjoong didn’t recognize the language, but the mage spoke the foreign tongue with the ease of long practice. The words slipped from his mouth with as much grace as everything else did, tone still soft but increasing in fervour with each continued phrase. There was a tension in his shoulders that hadn’t been there before.

_Laissez la magie donner ce qu’elle veut._

Hongjoong’s attention was diverted when the compass began to glow, a soft radiance that grew brighter with each passing moment. The pirates stared, disbelieving, as the ethereal light surrounded the mage and spread to all corners of the temple. It was one thing to discuss magic in its abstract, but to see it performed was another things altogether. Even the magic he’d seen Seonghwa perform thus far hadn’t prepared him for this.

_Laissez la magie prendre ce— ce qu’elle doit._

Seonghwa’s voice faltered, then continued sounding more pained than before. Hongjoong frowned, noting the sweat beading on the mage’s temple despite the chill of the night air. The words of the priestess came back to him; _no spell is without risk_.

_Que la magie soit témoin de cette dévotion et que le reste soit laissé entre les mains du destin._

The final words were rushed, frantic and desperate. Hongjoong and the crew watched, helpless, as the mage’s expression grew more and more pained, a silent battle with forces greater than he could imagine.

Hongjoong stepped forward, not knowing what to do but unable to just stand still. Jongho grabbed his arm before he could move far, shaking his head in silent protest. The captain growled, but Yeosang had noticed his intent and stepped in front of him to block his path.

“Hongjoong-hyung, you heard what Seonghwa said, we can’t interfere!”

The red-haired captain ignored Yeosang’s words, keeping his attention on the mage’s countenance which had become far more pale than he thought advisable. Hongjoong tugged again at the arms restraining him.

“Seonghwa needs help! How can we just stand here?”

Yunho placed a hand on his shoulder. “We don’t know what we’re doing, interfering might make it worse. Give him time,” he reasoned, though he himself sounded unsure and nervous.

Hongjoong simmered in restlessness, watching as the mage arched his back in a silent scream of pain. Tears had started to gather in the corners of the raven-haired mage’s eyes and it was that sight which snapped the last threads of his restraint.

Hongjoong did not stop to think. Later, he would wonder at himself for the impulsive decision, but in the moment — in the moment, he registered nothing except for the pain on Seonghwa’s face and the helpless fear creeping into his own heart. He dove forward, throwing off Jongho’s arm and ignoring the cries of the rest of the other two. He felt the faint shock of magic that reverberated through his bones as he dashed past the protective circle, but didn’t stop to let it register.

He reached for the compass still clasped in the mage’s hands, hoping that removing the object from the circle would end the spell. But the moment his hands touched the compass, he found himself off-balance and keeling, falling onto his knees at Seonghwa’s side with an unexpected shout of pain. 

Hongjoong didn’t know if he’d imagined what magic would feel like; he wasn’t sure he’d thought much about it. He was certain he had not expected it to be like this. The pulses of power flooding through him were like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He felt searing heat, burning through his blood and licking at his nerves. It was as if an inferno raged inside him and he did not know how to douse the flames. His hands were still clasped around the compass; it felt like something was binding him there, holding him in place. Light blazed up around them from the point where their hands met, surrounding him and blinding his vision. He could see nothing but the currents of magic that burned through him, burned through them.

There were bursts of light and sound and Hongjoong’s mind became a theatre of moments flashing before him. His eyes closed as the images swallowed him and split his mind in half; Hongjoong was both inside and outside the vision all at once, experiencing and observing the action. 

_There was an orange-haired baby in a crib and a girl’s voice floated into his consciousness._

The words were muted and indecipherable, but the tune felt familiar. It felt like something he’d held close to him without understanding the reason for its closeness.

_The scene shifted to a kitchen. The orange-haired child was older. There was a couple making dinner and an auburn-haired girl colouring at the table._

Hongjoong felt something tug at his chest, some strange sense of loss that he couldn’t quite place.

_From outside, the screams began and the scene devolved into a hurricane of movement and blood and death. Hongjoong lost his thoughts in the sadness and the chaos and when he came back around, the orange-haired child was on the streets, a familiar brown-haired figure guiding him and teaching him, protecting him._

Eden-hyung, he realized. Even with this scattershot remembrance of his own life, Hongjoong could never not recognize the brother who’d saved him all those years ago. These were his own memories, he realized. Fragments of his past that had been lost to time. Before the pirate captain could process, before he even attempt to understand, the scene shifted yet again and Hongjoong was ripped forward to one of the worst moments of his life.

_The skies were blue, too blue and it was wrong, all wrong because Eden-hyung was gone and he was all alone and his brother was on the execution platform crying and Hongjoong couldn’t do a thing to help as the guards dragged him out of the square. He screamed and shouted and kicked, knowing that it was too late and that he’d lost the one person who’d ever cared about him and burning, burning inside with rage._

Hongjoong cried out, the pain of the memories bleeding into the present. He did not want to see more, not if this was all that was in store for him. The memories did not care or stop. It was as if someone, _something_ , was rifling through his past and Hongjoong could nothing but lose himself in the current of his own mind.

_The scene painted itself in shades of fear and pain and Hongjoong knew he was back on the streets. The moments flashed forward and all of a sudden there was a church and a knife and his arm was bleeding and Hongjoong felt tired, so tired._

Then, an unexpected reprieve. Hongjoong watched, mind swimming in confusion and pain as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

_Hongjoong, alone and watchful, fearing the worst. Someone approaching from the shadows. Surprise. Amusement. Longing. Black hair and familiar grey eyes. A kind smile and warm hands. Healing and warmth and companionship. A bracelet, blue as the sea and a child’s promise._

Then, the memories shattered and he could feel himself losing consciousness. There was nothing but light, all around him. It was burning through him and setting him on fire, nerves blazing with pain. When the blissful oblivion of darkness came, he welcomed it with open arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here ~~~ I struggled a lot with this chapter (it just didn't seem to turn out the way I had imagined) and I'm still not 100% satisfied, but I decided to post it anyway... Thank you to all those who left comments, I can't tell you how much it makes my day to read them! 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy reading this chapter and as always, let me know what you think :) 
> 
> P.S. This is the translated version of the spell Seonghwa recites, in case anyone was curious
> 
> "Water to cleanse, earth to stabilize, fire to ignite, air to sustain - I bind these elements under the light of the moon and ask its spirit bear witness to the powers I summon tonight. With one spirit I invoke, with one mind I direct, with one heart I desire — let magic hear this call. Let magic find the path. Let magic guide this treasure to safe harbour. Let magic answer this prayer. Let magic show the way. Let magic protect this treasure with all that I have. Let magic take what it must. Let magic give what it will. Let magic witness this devotion and the rest be left in the hands of fate."

**Author's Note:**

> A few notes about this universe; the time period is set in the early 1700’s, the Golden Age of Piracy. The quest takes place mostly in the eastern part of the world, but all place names and locations are my own invention. There are historical elements and magical elements intertwined to create this world. That being said, I’m not an expert in these matters, so take all that you read with a grain of salt. This is my first time posting a work here, so if you have constructive criticism, I’d love to hear it.
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading this story; I know I enjoyed writing it! Comments and kudos are much appreciated! Thank you! :)


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